Crest of Hope
by toyaoctaviusdiscord
Summary: Are all dragons satisfied with their lives? Are they happy with their normal way of living? Are they content with following their hierarchy to a T? One dragon certainly doesn't think so. Sit back and dive into the story of a dragon who wished to make something of his life. Edit: Characters are anthrofied.
1. The journey of 1000 miles begins

_It is a cold, hard truth that each and every man must work out his own salvation in the matter of Success. Rules and advice may greatly assist - and they undoubtedly do this - but the individual must accomplish the real work. He must carve out his own Destiny._  
~** William Walker Atkinson**

* * *

Deep within the forest of Hollow Shades, two bodies, a dragon and a pony, stood together. The two of them began to engage in conversation with each other.

"Are you quite certain this is what you want to do?" One of them asked. It was the dragon. It was male, gentle and elderly.

"I leave him in your care...I trust you." The pony replied. It was clearly a stallion as his voice was gruff and commanding, but it had a hint of worry mixed in. To his side was a steel sword. Its handle was embedded with jewels and the blade had been worn out. The stallion stepped away from the old dragon and did not once look back. The sun had set and the wind blew gently against the treetops as tension filled the air.

"Very well. I will guard him with my life. Different though he may be, I make this promise to you. Goodbye, Ignus..." The dragon said. The stallion nodded without looking to his companion.

"Farewell, my friend." Ignus said as he ran off. In the midst of this, two more figures, a dragon as tall as the elderly one and a small child had stepped forward. It seemed as though they witnessed the conversation between the two friends.

"Mom? What's going on?" The little colt asked. It was male, but it was clearly the voice of a child no less than 7 years of age. The dragoness looked down at the child and smiled sadly.

"It's nothing, sweetie. Your father has just...decided to go on a trip." The dragoness said. The colt looked to its mother with worry.

"When is he coming back?" He asked. The elderly male got wind of his words and turned to face the two.

"He will not be coming back anytime soon, young one." He said as he walked forward.

"Who are you?" the child asked. He tilted his head to the side, showing that he was confused as he never met him before. The elderly male chuckled.

"You may call me Eldrich. I am a friend of your father's." The elderly male introduced himself. The child stepped behind its mother and hid his face. He was scared of Eldrich as his size intimidated him and he was not familiar with him at all. The mother could only look to her child and smile.

"Please forgive him. He's a shy one." She apologized. Eldrich smiled.

"It's quite alright. Aren't you a cute little thing. What's your name?" Eldrich said, directing his attention back to the child. The colt said nothing and kept himself hidden behind his mother.

"It's alright, sweetie. Tell him your name." The mother said, urging her child from his hiding place. The child fidgeted in place for a moment before he looked up at Eldrich. Gathering his courage, he opened his mouth to speak.

"...M-my name is..."

* * *

**Crest of Hope**

Chapter 1

"...on...Von...Von, snap out of it, will ya?!" The young dragon came to his senses as he was tackled to the ground by a maroon-colored dragon with yellow spikes and freckles.

"Ha! Gotcha, wimp! Maybe next time you'll learn to pay attention instead of day dreaming, dummy." The teenage dragon mocked. Von, the young dragon pinned to the ground, had a teal body with a yellow underbelly and orange hair on the tip of his tail and head with five white spikes going down to his neck. He brought his feet to his chest and kicked up, knocking the teenage dragon off him before getting back on his feet.

"That's enough, Garble. You know how much I hate rough housing with you!" Von declared. Four dragons came to Garble's side as they helped up their fierce companion and faced the young dragon. "I'm not going to continue." Von turned and walked away from them as Garble and his friends stood there and laughed at him.

"Go ahead and leave, runt! Go and dream about living with some namby pamby ponies. You'll never be a true dragon if you're hanging with ponies." Garble said with a mocking laughter. Von ignored him and went on his way. But it was true. Von was not like Garble and the other dragons. Unlike these dragons, who had a distinct hatred towards the ponies in the land of Equestria, Von was actually quite fascinated with them. He wanted to know more about them. How they lived, WHERE they lived, what they ate, what they did and what they celebrated. With this kind of behavior, Von was never thought of as a real dragon. Though Von was never like the other dragons to begin with.

Von was a rather clumsy flier and had a bit of a distaste for gems, though he had to eat something to keep himself alive. But there was also one little detail that made Von even more different than his brethren: his father was an Earth Pony. That's right. Von is the half breed child to a pony father and a dragon mother. How in Equestria that was actually possible, Von had no idea and he wanted it to stay that way. With these in mind, Von was considered the misfit of dragon kind. But there were three dragons that always stood by Von's side, even knowing what he wanted. And today is his 20th birthday and he planned on getting his wish.

"Hey, Von!" A dragon called to him as he rested by a rock. It was a yellow dragon with black spikes and a purple underbelly. Accompanying him was a white-scaled dragon with blue eyes and an ice-blue underbelly to match. The two came up to their kirin companion and sat beside him. "Got into another fight with Garble, huh?"

"Right as usual, huh Axel?" Von said in a sarcastic tone. Axel laughed as the white dragon began to speak.

"You should not let what they say get to you. Their words are meaningless but if you let them get to you, then their words can become weapons." Von sighed and looked to his snowy friend.

"Always gotta spit out some kind of philosophy, don'tchu Arcius?" Von got back onto his feet and proceeded to walk away from them until they stepped in front of him. "What now?"

"Von, you've been acting a little weird. Mind telling us what's going on?" Arcius asked. His tone was one of worry and concern. Arcius normally had a calm demeanor, a mind as clear as the sky. But the moment his tone changes, it's best not to mess with him or even hide anything from him.

"What, did Garble say something about your parents?! Where is he?! I'll rip him apart!" Axel yelled as he started to march off, but Arcius grabbed him and held him back to prevent any conflict from occurring. Axel was a more hot-headed kind of dragon. Not as a joke because he's a fire dragon, but due to his temper. Axel was easy to anger and difficult to calm down. But deep down inside, he was actually a real softy. He liked things like bunnies, clouds and sunny skies. But he never told that to any other dragon about that except for Von and Arcius. Or rather, they found it out themselves and have kept it a secret since they did.

"No. He said nothing about my parents...at least, not today." Von said. "He just made fun of my attraction to ponies. That's all." Von turned and walked away from his friends but suddenly bumped into another dragon. Like Axel, Arcius and Garble, this dragon stood on two legs. It was a female dragon with large breasts and a slender figure. Her scales were a dark purple, complete with white spikes and a yellow underbelly. She had a tomboyish air about her and her stare made it pretty obvious when she looked down at Von, who was staring back at her.

"Hey, baby. Like what you see?" She asked in a sultry tone. Von just looked away from her, a blush burning on his face.

"Shut up, Cynder. I'm not interested anymore." Von said. Cynder giggled and placed a claw on one of his shoulders as she twirled around Von, causing him to turn around.

"Aw come on. You don't want any of this anymore?" She asked, pouting. She quickly smiled and did a few poses, occasionally lifting her tail and exposing her rounded buttocks to him. Von looked only for a second before he turned his head away in embarrassment.

"I-I'm not interested anymore, ok?! I told you before. It's over between us." Von declared. His ex-girlfriend just looked at him in amazement. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Von, the half-breed freak, was rejecting her. HER, of all dragons. Her anger reaching to a boiling point, Cynder glared at him and turned away.

"Fine. If that's the way you want it, then I don't need you either. Why don't you go chasing after those ponies you love so much?" She hissed. Von sighed and walked back over to his friends, looking back at her on the way.

"Sorry. I just...don't like you that way anymore." Von told her.

"Please! This coming from the dragon that tried fucking me in my sleep when his heat cycle came around." Cynder retorted. She huffed and with those final words, she left the trio. Arcius stared at Von for a few seconds until his gaze diverted to the departing dragoness, along with Von and Axel's.

"Axel...I don't mean to be rude...but your sister is an ass." Von said to his yellow companion. Axel nodded in response.

"I have no idea how you were able to survive her." Arcius chuckled at Axel's comment.

"Perhaps the same can be said of you." The white dragon laughed as Axel began chasing him around, their teal halfling friend laughing at their antics. These two were the closest friends Von had ever had in his time up on the mountain. Around them, he could freely tell them about his dreams or what he studied about Equestria's residents. But there was one more dragon that understood him more than anyone. The three of them kept horsing around when at that moment, the sound of footsteps caught their attention. The footsteps grew louder as the source of them got closer. The three of them turned to see another female dragon, this one being an adult, standing over them. It had scales of a smokey silver color and a creamy white underbelly. It's expression was a motherly one at that and had an aura of peace and tranquility about her.

"Hello boys." The silver dragoness greeted. Axel and Arcius bowed their heads and the dragoness did the same before she turned towards Von and smiled at him. "Are the other dragons still making fun of you for liking ponies, sweetie?" She took her claws and grabbed Von, nuzzling the kirin in her bosom, causing him to blush and try to push her away.

"Mom! Come on! I'm not a kid anymore." Von whined. "But yes...they were. They keep making fun of me because of the way I look and because you and I are pony lovers. It's starting to get really old." Von kicked a rock on the ground and walked to the edge of the mountain and sat beside a small gem pile and among that pile was a book.

"Boys, can you leave us alone for a bit?" His mother asked. Axel and Arcius nodded in agreement and walked away to give the mother some time with her kirin child. After they left, Von's mother walked near the edge and sat by the gem pile. "Is something the matter?"

"Mom...How can you deal with it?" Von asked, nearly tearing up.

"Deal with what, sweetheart?" She replied. Von looked at her with red, tear-filled eyes.

"Deal with...THEM! They keep ridiculing me just because I don't have an attraction for dragons and calling you a 'Pony loving whore of a mother', all because I'm...THIS!" Von exclaimed, pointing to himself. "Why did I have to be born..." Von's mother sighed and wrapped one of her wings around her child.

"You were born because we WANTED you, Von." She reassured him. "All the dragons around me and the ponies around your father believe that dragons and ponies should not be with one another, limiting who we are allowed to love. Believing that it is a sin for dragons and ponies to procreate with one another. With that I guess you could say a wall was put up between our races, keeping us from trying to understand one another and learn to love each other. But your father and I wished to climb that wall and prove that there is nothing sinful about our love." She smiled and patted Von's head gently, causing him to blush but he managed to smile back up at her. "That is how you were made. You are the proof that our love is anything but sinful. You are the fruit of our union; Our hope."

"I understand that, mom. I really do. But...I just want them to understand my ways. I want them to see WHY I like the ponies so much." Von got up from his resting spot and stepped towards the gem pile and picked up the book that was resting atop of it. Von stared intently at the book which was titled, [i]Daring Do and the quest for the sapphire statue[/i] and smiled at it. "We're no different from the ponies. They just can't see it like I can. This book shows the adventurous life of one such pony. If ponies are actually tough enough to do some pretty dangerous things, then who knows what else they can do? I want to know more about them. How they live, where they live, what they eat, where they sleep. Everything they do that makes up the life of a pony. I'm sick of living only like a dragon!" Von huffed. "I'm part pony, so it's only right that I see the lifestyle of the other half." His mother smiled at him and she held him close to her, but they were soon interrupted by another presence.

"Don't tell me he's still going on about this little fantasy of his." A male voice called out. It was a deep, stern voice. Von turned his head in anger and saw two more dragons approach them. An adult dragon with lavender scales and a tan underbelly. He had a scar over his left eye, giving off the idea that it must have been in a few scrapes. The other dragon was quite odd. He was black with a purple underbelly. He was around Von's age given the fact it was the same size, if not taller than, the teen dragons on the mountain. But what was so odd about this dragon was that it brandished a steel sword, complete with a chest plate with matching leggings while the others wore no armor. "Silva, you spoil him too much." The lavender dragon said. Silva sighed and took her wing away from Von.

"I would ask that you do not criticize how I raise my child, Konan. Do not forget that I was willing to become your mate for the sake of my child and yours. So that we would have a whole family." Silva said.

"You became my mate because I TRIUMPHED over you. Nova you recall that, don't you?" The black dragon nodded his head to his father.

"Yes, father." Von looked to the dragon called Konan and growled. Von hated this dragon more than anything, for two reasons. Reason one was that this dragon constantly treated his mother like garbage and stomped all over Von's dream of going to Equestria. But reason two was the one that Von got irritated by the most; Konan was attempting to replace his father. Von did not like this one bit and he constantly urged his mother to leave Konan behind, but there was a reason that could not happen and that was the fact that Konan had 'earned' Silva as a mate. Or more along the lines, he won her. In their culture, the female dragons will only choose a strong mate and as such, other males will compete to earn the favor of said female.

Should the male lose, the female will not acknowledge him and her attention will be earned by the victor. However, there is one other portion to this. Should a male emerge victorious and earn the female's attention, he must also compete with the female for the right to take her as a mate. Upon winning, the female will submit and become his mate. However, if the male loses, the female will deem him as weak and not become his mate. In addition to that, she will deem him only worthy of being humiliated because of how weak he is and humiliate him by turning him into her plaything.

"Be grateful that I am still willing to keep you two around...even if one is a pony lover and the other is her demon spawn." Konan hissed. Silva glared at him in return.

"My son is not 'demon spawn'. He is a child like any other dragon here and you know this!" She yelled.

"Don't you dare talk back to me!" Konan yelled back in response and he took his claw back and smacked Silva to the ground. A red imprint of his claw marked Silva's cheek and just seeing that made Von's anger boil. "Why don't you go chase that pony you love? Oh wait. You can't because that coward left you. Fitting for a wretch like him."

"My father is no coward!" Von yelled, standing up. "My father is a strong, brave pony and you better learn to respect him." Konan looked down at the kirin and narrowed his eyes in irritation.

"You better watch your tongue, little one." He said, taking a step towards him. He took one of his claws and grabbed Von by his throat, causing the young halfling to choke and gag and drop the book he had in his claw so he could force Konan to release his grip. Konan caught the book and brought it closer to his eye so he could read it. "A pony book?! Tsk. Nova. Burn it." He held his claw out to his son who turned and observed the book and without any further command, set the book ablaze. Von watched in horror as the only thing he had from Equestria burned before his eyes. Konan released the half breed, causing him to fall onto his back but he scrambled to his feet and went over to the book.

"No no no! Please go out!" Von shouted as he started breathing wind at the flames. Von's mother, Silva, was a wind dragon. As such, she possesses an elemental breath like all other dragons. Hers being wind. She and Von, though he is a half breed, are the only wind dragons left alive. That being the case, Von also possesses the wind elemental breath as well. When Von let loose his breath on the fire, the flames roused up and grew in size until they went out upon reaching the dirt and the book was no more than ashes. Konan scoffed and began to walk away from them, but not before turning his head to speak once more.

"Perhaps next time you'll learn to respect your father." He said. "Come, Nova." Nova nodded his head and started to walk off with his father.

"...You're...not..." Von muttered. Konan stopped walking and turned back to the kirin.

"What was that?" He asked in a stern tone. Von didn't lift his head to look at him.

"You're not my father..." Von muttered a little clearer. Konan stepped closer to him and lowered his head to Von's level.

"Didn't quite catch that." Konan said. Von then looked up at him with slit eyes that were filled with sheer anger.

"**I SAID, YOU'RE NOT MY FATHER, ASSHOLE!**" Von shouted. Before Konan could even blink, Von turned around and bucked his hooves into Konan's good eye, causing the colossal beast to reel back in agony. Silva watched in astonishment and this commotion earned the attention of all the other dragons around them.

"NOVA!" Konan shouted. "Get him!" Nova nodded his head and unsheathed his sword and held it to his step brother. Von got into a defensive stance, ready to receive Nova's attack.

"I'm not going to hold back, little halfling." Nova told him. Von didn't answer him. Taking that as his proof of resolve, Nova lunged at Von and cleaved his blade. Von ducked under the sword strike and swung at Nova's face. He dodged it, but he managed to nick his cheek. Nova grew angry by this and began to swing his sword wildly in a fit of rage. Von easily dodged his attacks as the attack pattern was very predictable and kicked the sword out of his claws and socked Nova in his chin sending the sword-wielding drake flying back into his father's chest, tumbling them both over.

"My name is Von the kirin! And yes, I love ponies and my mother is a pony-loving dragon! Yeah, I'm different from all of you! Yeah, I hardly look a thing like you! And yeah, maybe I don't like doing things the same way as you! But I don't care!" Von proclaimed. "I want to learn more about them and my father and there's only one way that I will be able to do that!" Von then climbed up onto a rocky edge and looked back to all the dragons. "I'm going to Equestria." Konan, hearing this, shoved his son off him and stood back up.

"If you leave this mountain, you will not be permitted back here! You hear me?!" He shouted. Axel, Arcius, Cynder and Silva looked to Von. He had a sad expression and Silva knew why. Von was going to choose to leave the mountain and seek a new life, even if it meant that he would never be allowed back on the mountain again. He looked to his mother for an answer, but she gave him a smile. She didn't need to say anything for him to know what she was thinking. 'Go ahead, Von. Live your life.' That's what her smile was saying to him. Without any instruction or further motivation, Von opened his wings and dove off the edge of the mountain. Konan and Von's friends ran to the edge of the mountain and they saw the young kirin shoot up into the sky and fade into the distance.

Von looked back towards the mountain and could only see small figures of the dragons. None of them gave chase and none of them protested, but he could hear the distinct sound of his friends whooping and cheering him on. He smiled and looked back to the way ahead of him and saw something on the ocean. It was far away, but he knew it was land. Ahead of him lay his destination: Equestria, home of the ponies. The moment he would land there, his new life would begin. He finally took his first step towards a new future, for this day marked Von's journey of hope and discovery.

**Chapter 1-End**


	2. A Dragon in Pony's Clothing

A spry young child pranced about his home, his dragon mother smiling and attempting to calm him down the best she could. It was of little use, but the mother enjoyed seeing her little one be so happy and carefree. She knew the reason why he was so excited was that his father would be arriving soon, and he had been expecting him for quite some time.

"Daddy's coming home! Daddy's finally coming home!" The young kirin shouted happily. The dragoness smiled and grabbed her child's tail and picked him up, placing him in her lap. Once he was set down, he hugged her arm and smiled.

"I am aware of this, Von. But please calm down. Your father would get mad at you if you broke something." Silva said to him. Von smiled and his tail wagged slightly as he stopped laughing and looked at her.

"But I wanna play. Daddy promised we'd play when he came home." The young Von whined. "But I can't think of anything to play with him. Maybe we can play some hide and seek?" At that moment, the door opened and a stallion stepped inside. His coat was a dark blue and he was brandishing a steel sword, hidden within its sheathe that hung to his left side. He had hazel brown eyes and a blonde mane and though he seemed like a fighter, he had a gentle air about him.

"I'm afraid I don't have the energy for hide and seek, sport." The blue stallion said, addressing the young kirin. Von's ears perked up when he saw the stallion and his mother smiled upon seeing the stallion.

"Daddy!" Von shouted with glee as he jumped off his mother's lap and galloped towards his father.

"Nice to see you, t-OOF!" The stallion couldn't get the rest of his words out as Von had tackled his father to the floor and rested his hand on his chest.

"You're late." Von said as he started to pout. The stallion smiled nervously as his dragoness lover stepped forward and smiled at the two of them.

"Seems you made him mad, Ignus." Silva teased. "What are you going to do about it?" Ignus chuckled and lifted their child off of him so that he could get back up on his hooves. Silva grabbed her lover's head and pulled it to her, kissing his lips and the act caused their son to gag.

"BLEGH! GROSS!" Von whined as he covered his eyes. The two lovers laughed at their son and broke apart from one another.

"I do apologize, sweetums. I met up with some of the guys and we had a few rounds before I went to visit an old friend." Ignus explained. Silva grinned at the mention of 'an old friend' and nuzzled Ignus' cheek.

"How is he doing?"

"He's doing quite well actually. He told me that he's recently become the new Dragon King."

"Dragon King? Hmph. He may be a leader, but nobody leads me." Silva huffed. Ignus smiled and rubbed her cheek.

"Well you certainly have no problem when I take lead." He said teasingly. A blush came to Silva's face and she looked over to Von, who was scooting along the floor in boredom.

"Ignus, please. Not in front of Von. He's too young to hear of such things." She whispered. Ignus laughed loudly at her embarrassment.

"I wasn't even talking about that. I meant something else. Seems someone has naughty thoughts in her head." Ignus teased. Silva huffed, a small gust emitting from her nostrils as she turned and picked Von up and put him in front of his father. Ignus smiled at patted Von's head, causing the little kirin to smile at him. "Come on, sport. Let's go play some Dragon's Treasure." Von smiled and started to run outside.

"You won't find my gems this time, dad! Come on, mom. We can't let him win!" Von shouted. Silva giggled and followed after her child, Ignus following shortly behind. The three of them were like the perfect family. Laughing, eating and playing together, things seemed to look up for them. To them, nothing would ever be able to separate them. Until that one fateful day...

Von roused from his sleep and looked around. He was sleeping on a patch of land on the ocean, the sun was rising and a new day was beginning for him.

"Another dream..." Von laughed to himself. He got up and stretched, scratching his head as he thought of the past. "We were really happy back then. We never wanted anything bad to happen. But then...on that day..." Von bit his lip, holding back his sadness and turned to face the sun. "Nevermind that. Right now, this is an important moment for me. And i'm not going to let the past ruin it for me."

* * *

Chapter 2

Von spread his wings and took flight, leaving behind the patch of land that he rested upon and set his sights for his goal. It was much closer now than it was before as it took Von a full day just to get as close to Equestria as he'd gotten. On his way, a streak of yellow and blue flew past him, causing him to spin around in mid-air.

"Watch where you're going!" The streak yelled back to him. It was hard to make out what it was, but the voice was clearly female. Von wanted to inquire who that was, but he didn't want to waste anymore time and continued flying towards Equestria. Given the high speed of a young wind dragon, even with that minor distraction, approximately 25 minutes went by until Von finally landed in Equestrian territory. He knew the way to Equestria very well, that being because he snuck over to Equestria when his step father Konan was away. When he landed, he started to travel on foot, going down the path he took during his first visit.

"Doesn't seem like much has changed." Von said to himself. "But still...it feels good to be back. I feel more at home here." He smiled and continued on his way. Though he lived in Equestria once, he was isolated to one area. As such, he didn't know much about the other towns or cities. Hollow Shades was a more darker area in Equestria. His old home was within the forest depths, so the sun was barely able to shine through. Given that fact, Von was not able to go very far out from his home. But now that he is an adult, Von can see all the places that he never got the chance to as a colt.

Von continued walking for a time, taking in the sights around him. Some of the sights were beautiful and breathtaking, while others were frightful and would make anypony run in terror. But Von enjoyed it nonetheless and went on his way.

"Let's see...the last time I was here..." Von muttered, observing the area around him as he continued forward. "I passed that giant gorge...and came through the bog...so I think I'm-" Von stopped suddenly when the sound of growls echoed from behind him. Von knew three distinct growling sounds in his lifetime: the growl of an angry dragon, the growl of his own empty stomach and the growl of a sleeping dragon. But this one was completely different. It was a malicious growl, one that was full of hunger. When Von turned around, he saw three wolves glaring at him with their glowing green eyes. But these weren't any ordinary wolves. They were made of wood, with leaves for eyebrows and tongues and branches for ears. "In that...creepy...forest..." Von swallowed hard and started to back away as the strange timberwolves crept closer to him. Von continued to back away until he backed into a tree, preventing him from retreating any further.

Von internally cursed at himself and brought his attention back to the Timberwolves. They drew nearer and Von's heart began racing. Von had to think of something quick. He wasn't able to run nor could he find some way to get around them. Immediately, Von knew what choice he had left and though he wasn't on the mountain anymore, he had some experience with this kind of thing.

"Looks like I have to fight." Von declared to the Timberwolves. Von balled his fists and prepared himself to attack. As if they understood him the wolves crouched low, ready to attack. Von initially did the same thing and charged at them and the wolves charged back. One of the wolves leaped towards Von, catching the kirin's attention and earning itself a swipe from Von's tail. It shattered, its fallen branches clattering on the forest floor defeated, as Von quickly turned and face the other two. One had leaped before he looked back and its sharp wooden teeth bit into his shoulder.

Von cried out in pain as its teeth sunk further into his coat as the other clawed his side. Von growled in anger and with a swing of his fist, he smashed the wolf that clawed him into pieces. He then wrapped his tail around the wolf biting him and swiftly yanked it off, wincing as the teeth scrapped the wound and smashed that wolf as well. Looking around him in a triumphant manner, Von smiled and turned away from the shattered bodies of the Timberwolves and proceeded onward.

"Well that was easy." He said to himself. He continued to walk away from the scene, dusting his hands off, when he suddenly stopped. A chilling wind blew past him and a shiver ran up his spine. Nothing was approaching him from any end and nothing lied before his path except for the trees. So that only left him with one other thing. He turned his head slowly to find a remarkable sight. The branches from the fallen Timberwolves began combining on one another each forming a separate body part until finally a new Timberwolf, one of colossal size, stood in place of the three fallen ones. Von could only stare in awe at the ferocious beast until its eyes set on its new prey: Him.

"Oh...merde." Von swore and faster than the eye could blink, Von flew up to the sky and away from the wolf. He looked back once to see if the colossal beast was chasing him, but it didn't. Once he knew he was far enough away, Von landed on the ground. But when he looked around, he noticed something different. The number of trees around him had grown thinner and ahead of him was a bright light. Now ordinarily, one would not head towards the light at the end of a tunnel, lest they never come back. But in Von's case, he did but that was mostly because he knew he wasn't dead. He kept going forward, the light growing brighter with each step until finally...

"Wow." Von whispered to himself as he took in the beauty before his eyes.

Before him was the epicenter of the pony community: Ponyville. Von had heard about this place when he was young, but he never thought he'd see it until today. There were ponies of various size, race and color wandering around town. (Not to mention all the gorgeous mares) There was a unicorn using what he believed to be magic to levitate some materials, and oddly another pony, and take them with her. The houses were quite modern looking and had unique designs to them. There were so many interesting things around him. Flower shops, a fountain, earth ponies, a baby dragon, a blonde-maned pegasus, weather ponies laying down on some clouds and-

"Wait. A baby dragon?" Von's attention darted back towards the unicorn he saw and just like he witnessed, there was a baby dragon traveling alongside her. It was purple with green spikes and was quite chubby. Von was interested in this little guy not just because he hoped to have another dragon companion, but it was also because he KNEW this dragon.

Back during the Great Dragon Migration, Von and his mother had left their home in Hollow Shades to forget the pain of parting with Ignus. The two of them traveled to Dragon Mountain and made that their new home. After Konan had made Silva into his mate, Von left with the other dragons during the migration. Some time after his arrival, Von had met Garble and the others in addition to his companions, Axel and Arcius. After he spent time with them, Von noticed something. Garble and his gang were picking on a little dragon that went by the name of Spike. Or at least that's what he heard them call him. He watched as they bullied and teased him to the point where he tried to stop him. But before he could, someone he knew very well had stopped him. It was Elder Eldrich, his father's companion and the new dragon king that had stopped him. Eldrich was aware of Von's personal dislike for confrontation and informed him that things would turn out well if he let it be. Reluctantly Von gave in and listened to him and in the process, he got to meet up with his father's old friend.

Now that Von was older and was living a new life, he could now interact with the baby dragon without any problems. While the other ponies around him weren't paying attention, Von went around one of the houses and tailed after the purple dragon. However, one of the ponies caught a glimpse of his tail. It was a unicorn mare with a mint-green coat, a pale cyan and white-striped mane and orange eyes. On her rear, just under her skirt, was a lyre-shaped Cutie Mark which completed her appearance. The skirt was white and she sported a black tank, just barely holding back her cleavage.

She got up from the spot she was in and began to investigate until another mare, an earth pony, stopped her. She had a beige colored coat with a blue and pink-striped mane and icy blue eyes, complete with a Cutie mark depicting three pieces of candy. She was wearing yellow blouse which covered a pair of blue shorts that hugged her ass tightly. But she didn't seem to mind much.

"Lyra, where are you going?" The beige pony asked. The unicorn, Lyra, looked back to her companion and smiled.

"I'll be right back, Bon Bon. Don't worry." Lyra assured her friend as she went on her way. Bon Bon looked to her unicorn companion as she departed with a look of worry.

"I hope she doesn't get herself involved in any weird stuff. ...Or with weird ponies."

* * *

Von continued to tail Spike and his two pony friends, hiding from their sight in any way he could the moment he believed he'd get spotted. As he kept following them, he eventually reached a building, a rather fancy one at that and witnessed his targets go inside. Not wanting to get caught, Von crept around the other side and peered through an open window and when he looked inside, his mouth went agape.

The inside was breath-taking as the decor was beautifully arranged, there were designs and mane-nequins all over, wrapping paper and other tools were neatly arranged or tucked away and in the center of the room was Spike and his friends. He noticed that the white mare was moving her mouth, but Von couldn't hear a thing. Cleaning out his ear with his claw, he leaned closer and listened in.

"And I very much thank you, Spike, for helping me with these supplies." Rarity said. Spike smiled at her with a lovestruck expression.

"Anything for you, Rarity~" He said. Rarity smiled nervously and turned her head away from the infatuated dragon and this display intrigued Von.

_So mom isn't the only dragon that is in love with a pony, huh?_, he thought. He observed the two ponies, his eyes sizing them up and analyzing them. _I want to find that very special someo-err...special somePONY of my own while I'm here. I'm sure she's around. I just need to find her._

"So, Rarity. Whatcha making today? Are you making new dresses? Can you make one for me like you did before the gala?! I want it to be my own design. But what would I want on it? Hmm. Oh i know! Maybe candy! Or balloons! Or streamers! Or maybe glitter! Maybe some confetti! Or lollipops! Oh 's candy." Pinkie Pie spouted, giggling at her own silliness. Von sat there, observing the pink pony and shook his head.

_No. Too bubbly. I like a girl who's cheerful, but that goes beyond my limits,_ he thought. His attention turned to Rarity, who seemed quite befuddled by the part pony's manner of speech before she went about her work. _That one seems to snooty. I don't really like girls like that. I bet she's the kind of pony that overreacts to just about everything._ As he said that, Rarity let out a loud gasp and dropped what she was doing.

"Oh dear celestia! It's not here!" She panicked. Spike looked at her in confusion.

"What's not there?" The baby dragon asked. Rarity levitated cloth after cloth, frantically looking around for something until she put it all down.

"A very VERY special material that only gets put in stock once a year and it was vital for a new design I had in mind! It's probably off the shelves by now and now I won't be able to get any! My dress is ruined!" She pulled up a chair and dropped back into it and started sobbing. "RU-HOO HOO-INED!"

"Aw come on, Rarity. I'm sure it'll be fine." Pinkie Pie reassured her. Rarity stopped sobbing and jumped up from her chair and stared at her pink friend.

"How can you say that?! This dress was going to be one of my finest and now I can't complete it. This is horrible. Of all the worst things, this is THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!" She exclaimed. Von stared in amazement, unsure of what to say about the situation.

_Heh. I knew it,_ he thought. "Well I've seen all i wanted to see. Now, to head back into Ponyville and-" The moment Von turned around to leave, he saw Lyra standing behind him with the most peculiar stare on her face. It was one of amazement and confusion. He watched as her eyes scanned his whole body. A pony-like body, dragon eyes, dragon wings and a dragon's tail. These were the things about Von that caught her attention, but then again the fact he was looking into somepony's house would've caught the attention of anybody besides her. Her eyes trailed up until they locked onto his. Gazing into each others eyes, they widened in shock upon a sudden realization.

BGM 5

"IT'S YOU!" They both yelled. Upon the both of them yelling at the top of their lungs, Rarity's ears twitched and she looked back towards the window of Carousel Boutique.

"Is somepony there?" She called out. Von looked back nervously to the window and began to panic, desperate not to get caught. He had a choice. Either take his chances having gotten seen by this mare or get caught spying by the other one. Von took a risk and covered the green unicorn's muzzle and dove into an alley with her. She struggled and kicked as Von kept her pinned to the wall until one of her feet made contact with his legs and he held it in pain, forcing him to let go of her and stumble backwards. Then by means of some invisible force, Von was forced against the wall of the alley and was held in place with his feet off the ground. Lyra glared at him, her horn glowing with the same magic aura that held him in place.

"Why are you back here, thief?!" She asked. Von blinked and stared at her.

"Who are you calling a thief?!" He quipped. Lyra's glare grew more furious and her magic pushed Von further into the wall.

"I'm talking to the pony...dragon...THING that stole my book!" She retorted. Von struggled a bit and looked at her.

"What book?"

"My Daring Do book, of course!" She screeched. Von stared at her for a good minute before realizing what she was talking about.

_Oh yeah. The Daring Do book I got was hers. She WAS the first pony I met when I came here,_ he thought. _If she didn't freak out from seeing me, she would've kept the book._ "Hold on! I mean no harm. I can explain everything. Just...please let me down!" He yelled. Lyra saw his eyes fill with fright and reluctantly, she released her magic and he landed in front of her.

"I'm listening." She said. Von chuckled nervously and looked at her.

"Um...can we go somewhere more private? Like...I don't know, your house maybe?" He asked. Lyra groaned and turned away, waving her hoof signalling for him to follow as they walked together. Upon reaching Lyra's home, Von took his time to explain to the unicorn his exact reason for coming to Equestria and why he looks the way he does.

"You're a dragon-pony...wanting to try and be like a normal pony?" She asked. She tilted her head in confusion, trying to understand Von's statement and the kirin nodded his head in response to this.

"That's right. I wanna learn how to be a normal pony. To blend in and see what it's like to live like one. But it's hard for me to do that because I'm...well...this." Von said, pointing to himself. Lyra shook her head and sighed.

"I'll say. I thought that dragons and ponies mating was some kind of sin or something." She told him. Von's eyes widened in shock. "Oh well. I SUPPOSE I can help you-" Upon hearing her say that, Von lunged forward and hugged Lyra tightly.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" He exclaimed, tightening his grip. Lyra struggled to free herself without the use of magic, but to no avail. Instead, she waited for Von to realize that he was hugging too tightly, which he didn't notice until a few minutes passed and let go of her.

"Don't do that again." She hissed. Von nodded his head in agreement and backed away from her until suddenly, his ears twitched when he heard a voice call out.

"Lyra!" A female voice yelled. Lyra turned to her window and looked outside to see the beige Earth pony looking at her. "Come on! We're gonna be late!"

"Just a minute!" Lyra replied. She moved away from the window and turned her attention back to Von. "Listen...um..."

"Von."

"Von...Listen, I'm going to be taking my marefriend out somewhere, ok? So...just stay here for awhile." She said. Von nodded and Lyra proceeded to go out the door until she glanced back at him. "And don't touch anything!" With that, she shut the door and walked away with her Earth pony companion, leaving Von alone in her house.

"Well...I guess there's only one thing left to do now," He said as he walked upstairs and into Lyra's bedroom and plopped on the bed, "and that's sleep." And as he said that, the young kirin drifted off to sleep, regaining his energy so that he could be prepared for the next day. Because when he'd wake up, he would start to live like any normal stallion...

Chapter 2-End


	3. Pony Ethics 101

"Here I come!" Von shouted as he charged headlong at Eldrich. The elderly dragon smiled and and prepared to counter-attack. however Von slowed his charge suddenly. He lifted his head back and opened his mouth. After taking a deep breath, he unleashed a small ball of fire from his mouth that shot towards Eldrich. Eldrich moved his head to the side and turned to the blast as it hit a tree behind him and burned it to ash.

"Splendid work, young one." Eldrich said, praising the young kirin for his efforts. Von blushed and kicked his foot against the ground.

"Aww. I didn't do much really." Von replied. The two males conversed with one another about their sparring session when a silver dragoness came up to them, greeting the two with a warm grin.

"Is his training complete?" Silva asked. Eldrich chuckled.

"Yes. For now, at least. I have taught him the basic use of fire to the best of my abilities. It took some getting used to, but he managed to conjure up his first fireball." He said. "If he learns more on how to control it, then he may be able to use the power of fire for more than just that." Von jumped for joy when he heard that statement.

"Really?! I can learn how to...to shoot streams of fire?! Or...or light my spikes on fire maybe?! Ooh! Can I even shoot fire out of my eyes?" The kirin asked excitedly.

"I'm not so sure about those last two, sweetie." His mother said.

"Those are some lovely, if not odd, examples. But yes, you will be able to manipulate fire in different ways. Be it surrounding yourself in flames to tackle your opponents or unleashing a devastating gust of fire to burn all that lies before you. But you must learn from the masters in order to fully gain control of it...or at least as much control as your body can handle." Eldrich instructed. Von stared at him, confused.

"Who ARE the masters anyway, elder?" He asked. Silva and Eldrich nodded to one another before they both looked back to him.

"The masters, as their names sound, are the ones that have mastered the four elements. Each one commands a single element, but they have complete control over it." Eldrich started. "In order for you to learn how to master the elements, you must undergo-"

"Wait. I'm a dragon of wind. How can I even use fire anyway?" Von interrupted. Silva giggled at this.

"Though we are dragons of wind naturally, it is possible to learn how to use a different elemental breath or element in general through extensive training, like you just went through." The dragoness explained. Von didn't say much, but his mouth opened, making an inaudible "Ooh" to let them know that he understood now.

"As I was saying...to learn how to control the elements, you must undergo each of the master's trials and prove your worth in battle in order for them to bestow upon you their elemental power. It will not be as strong as theirs, but with time, you too, may wield the full power of the elements." He concluded. "Come in a year time, I will take you to the masters so you may learn the basis of their element so that you may understand it when you acquire the power." The little kirin smiled and began jump for joy, his mother watching him with a bright smile spread across her face.

"So mom, when's dad coming home?" Von asked. The bright smile that had appeared on SIlva's face quickly turned to one of sorrow. She turned her head away and did not look at her child. Eldrich did the same, leaving Von confused and worried. "Mom?"

Silva turned her head back to Von, reluctant to speak.

"I'm afraid your father will not be coming back, Von." She said in a low tone.

"Why not?" Eldrich turned to speak to him this time.

"Because...I'm afraid that Ignus..."

Von awoke from his slumber the following day in a cold sweat. He had yet another dream about his childhood. Looking over at his hand, he simply smiled.

"If I learn how to use the elements, maybe I'll be as strong as dad one day...or maybe even stronger." He told himself. As he got up from the bed Lyra let him lie in, the owner of the house herself came into the room and smiled at him.

"Oh good. You're awake. That saves me some time." The unicorn said. Von smiled and stepped closer to her. "Are you ready to start living like a normal stallion?" Von nodded his head in response.

"You bet!"

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Lyra sat Von down in one of her chairs once the two of them finished eating breakfast together. Some of the food ponies eat weren't all that bad. Granted, they had flowers and stuff in them but his taste buds couldn't make heads or tails as to whether they were supposed to taste bad for him or not. They were bitter yet sweet, much like the gems he used to eat. Of course, this was due to his pony blood but he decided not to question it. Upon Von finishing the Daffodil sandwich he was given, Lyra began to speak.

"Ok. I've never done this sort of thing before, but it shouldn't be too hard. The first thing you need to learn about acting like us ponies is that you first need to look like us." She said. She turned her head towards a bag and her horn began to glow, the contents of the bag glowing in correspondence, and some odd clothes floated out of it and in front of him.

"Uh...what are those?" Von asked, pointing to the fabric. Lyra giggled and grabbed her kirin companion with her hoof.

"These are your new clothes." She said. "I'm not going to have you living in my house and not wear proper clothes." She said, looking at Von. He looked down at himself and noticed that he was only wearing underwear, shorts and nothing else. As quickly as she finished, she grabbed Von and forced him into the other room.

"Huh?! H-hey! Don't- HEY! It doesn't bend that much!" Von protested. "Stop! Don't touch that! They're sensi- AGH! THAT'S TOO TIGHT!" Von protested more and more, but the unicorn paid no mind to them as she went to work on the young half breed. When she was done, she stepped away and began to point and laugh at how ridiculous she thought Von looked in the clothes she picked out.

"Y-y-you look so..." Lyra couldn't finish her sentence and quickly burst into laughter, falling on her padded floor and pointing her finger at him. "HAHAHAHA! Ha! Oh my sides!"

Von narrowed his eyes in annoyance as the feeling of these alien clothes were quite uncomfortable. His wings had been tucked into the shirt, so he could not spread them like they needed to, most of his tail had been tucked against his rear so that only a bit of it would be exposed, the sleeves of the shirt and the pants he wore were tight around his legs. And lastly...there was THAT. Oh dear merciful Celestia, if it got any tighter around there than it already was, it would split in half. Point blank, the clothes were much too tight for Von.

"It's too tight on me. Can't I wear something else...or maybe NOTHING at all?" He pleaded. Lyra shook her head and stood back up, making eye contact with the halfling.

"Sorry. But you're a guest in my household. And until you get your own place, you gotta live by MY rules. And this new rule requires you to wear clean clothes if you want to blend in with us ponies." She explained. Von groaned in annoyance and began tugging at the pants she put him in.

"Then can I at LEAST keep my shorts?!" He replied. Lyra giggled and with a single flash of magic, his pants disappeared and his shorts were back on. His tail slithered to the ground and he sighed in relief at the feeling of being released from the polyester prison, but his relief faded quick when a certain something came to mind. "Oh my...excuse me for a minute." Von said as he rushed to the other room and began to use his hand to examine south of the border. "Let's see...one...two...three. Ok. I'm good now!"

"Huh?" Lyra said as she was quite curious as to what he did.

"N-nothing. So...what next?" Von asked, joining Lyra in the living room. Lyra smiled and used her magic to levitate a small bottle over to him. Inside was an unknown green liquid. It was warm, the smell coming off it revolting and it made Von want to puke. And more likely than not, Von was about to be forced to drink it.

_I'm gonna have to drink this, aren't I?_, Von thought.

"Here. Drink this."

_Yep._ Von groaned and gripped the bottle in his hand and tilted it towards his lips, the warm liquid touching his lips before he tiled it away and looked at the mint green unicorn. "Where did you get this?"

"I got this from somepony in the Everfree Forest. Now hurry up and drink it." Lyra urged. Von stared at her for a long minute, unsure as to whether or not to take her word for it. But he was willing to do anything to be like a normal pony. So, he took the bottle and brought it back to his lips. The green liquid nearly went past his lips when another thing crossed his mind, stopping him from drinking yet again.

"You went to the Everfree Forest?" He asked.

"Yup." Lyra replied.

"The forest with those wooden wolves?"

"That's right."

"And you managed to get through...without getting eaten by them...just to get this."

"Yeah. Actually, the Timberwolves aren't so bad. They're actually pretty gentle if you don't disturb them." The unicorn said.

"Then why did they attack me?!" Von exclaimed.

"They said you smelled like somepony they came across once in their life."

"Somepony they- Wait. You understand them?!"

"Yeah. I can understand Timberwolf speech." Lyra said, smiling.

"HOW?!"

"There are alot of things I do that...I'd rather not explain." The unicorn looked away with a shame-filled look, of which prompted Von to wonder exactly what kind of pony she was. But he ignored it and proceeded to gulp down the liquid. It tasted as vile as it smelled. Von felt the desperate need to puke, but he managed to bear with it and swallowed. He smacked his lips a couple times, getting a sample of the after taste of the liquid. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was certain it was a type of fruit.

_Mango, maybe? Or is this melon? Ah whatever_, he thought. His focus shifted as a tingling sensation swam through his feet. No. Not just his feet. His whole body tingled. He started to panic, unaware of what changes were going through his body. It was frightening and he wanted it to stop. But soon, the sensation overwhelmed him and everything went black.

Von awoke several moments later, his head feeling quite foggy. He stumbled back onto his feet and looked around. Lyra was standing there agape, staring with widened eyes at the kirin. Von looked down at his feet and back at her.

"What? I don't feel any-" Von looked back where he wings were and saw they were not there. Not just that, his once-proud dragon tail had turned into a normal pony tail, the spikes on his head were gone and his sharp fangs had been replaced by regular teeth. "W-w...WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?!" Von screamed.

"I don't know! I asked her if she could make a potion for turning something into a pony and she brewed this up. I thought she didn't believe me and gave me a dud! I didn't think this would actually happen!" Lyra retorted. Von shook his head and looked in a mirror and staring right back at him was a teal Earth pony stallion.

"Whoa...I look...awesome! That stuff really worked wonders." He said with a grin. "I look the part. Now I just need to learn what you guys know." He turned to his unicorn companion and smiled as Lyra quickly regained her composure and returned the smile.

"Alright. Now that you look the part, it's time for your lesson." She told him. The two of them went back into the living area and sat on the couch, undisturbed as Lyra began to lay down the events that have transpired far before he arrived.

About an hour went by as Lyra finally finished giving Von the rundown on all that has happened around Pony society. From the time of Nightmare Moon's return to the revival of the Crystal Empire. Some things had been quite catastrophic for the ponies, but she assured them that they always pulled through somehow and that they always will as long as harmony existed. Von took her words to heart and looked outside of the door when he opened it. The sun was shining bright over the pony-filled town, its light warming his heart and a smile spread across his face.

"Alright. I'm off." He said. He waved as he bid good day to his unicorn friend and set out into town. He took in the sights around him, smiling the whole way. As he passed by a few ponies, they eyed him a few times and he looked back at them nervously. He expected them to shun him or think that he was weird, but they smiled right back at him and waved to the disguised kirin.

_They don't suspect a thing. It's really working_, he thought. _Let's see...I think I'll head on over to that Sugarcube Corner she mentioned._ Von turned his head toward a building with a candy-coated roof and began to trot towards it. It was quite different to be walking around with a pony body, but Von was willing to deal with it. For now, Von the kirin was nowhere in sight. The days of Von the stallion have now begun...

* * *

"You wished to see me, father?" Nova asked as he approached the dragon. Konan lifted his head and looked to his son.

"Yes. I called you here for a matter of grave importance." He told him. Nova listened to his father and gave him his undivided attention as Konan told him the precise reason why he called him there.

"Father, you cannot be serious." Nova protested. But despite not wanting to believe his father's words, he knew it was the truth. "Are you quite certain you wish for me to do this?"

"Yes, I am. I would not ask this of anyone else. I can only trust you with this task." Konan said. Nova bowed his head to his father and looked back up at him.

"And my task father?" Konan stared at him, his eyes narrowing in anger.

"Bring. Von. Back!"

Chapter 3-End


	4. An angels wings

"Bring. Von. Back!" Konan yelled. Konan was not one to mince words. When he ordered something, he meant for it to be carried out. And the dragon that would carry out said orders was none other than his offspring, Nova.

"You wish for me to force him to come home?" Nova repeated. Konan glared at him in annoyance. Nova is the kind of dragon that would obey his father without question, but he is not particularly fond of using force to get things done.

"Yes, I do. He will not listen to reason. This much we know. So the only way to get him back here is to bring him home by force." The lavender dragon told him. Nova was reluctant to listen to him, but he wanted to make his father proud and not earn his anger. So without further hesitation, he bowed his head.

"At once, father." Nova placed his sword into his sheathe and spread his wings and took flight. He aimed himself in the direction of Equestria and continued flying. On his way, however, he was starting to get cold feet. He wasn't that close to Von, but he still thought of him as a fellow dragon and his sibling, despite his...origins. So naturally, he would feel bad about what he was about to do. Clutching his claw to his chest, he continued flying towards his target.

_Von...please listen to me. I don't want to have to fight. If you resist...I'll have no other choice..._

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Von was having the time of his life as a regular, anyday old stallion as he walked through Ponyville. There were things about being a stallion that he thought to be different than what he really was. The anatomy wasn't all that different, just replace his tail, wings and whatnot. The food didn't taste all that bad either, thanks to his new tongue. The only thing he had a hard time adjusting to was wearing the new clothes. Yeah, he thought they were a little cool but they felt weird on his body. However, he had to get used to it if he was gonna keep living, or try to live, in Ponyville. He was happy about this, but he was deeply saddened because of one little detail.

_I feel like this is cheating,_ he thought. From his perspective, this is true. He wanted to understand the lives of Ponyville's residents, but he didn't want to become a pony just to do so. He wanted to do it with his own eyes, as his true self. _But how can I?_, he continued to think. _I'm born from a relationship that should not have been. I'm a devil child...a child of sin..._ He sighed and continued on his way until suddenly, he bumped into another pony, falling over in the process. "Ow..."

"Oh! I'm sorry." The pony said. It was a mare's voice...and a beautiful one at that. Von rubbed his head and slowly reopened his eyes, gazing into the eyes of the mare that knocked him over. And in an instant, his jaw dropped. It was a pegasus mare. She had a orange body and a green mane. With green eyes, a blue t-shirt and black jeans, she stood over him with a look of worry.

"Hey. Are you alright?" She asked again. Von continued to stare into the green eyes of the pegasus. He was at a loss for words. On his way through Ponyville, or rather sneaking around in Ponyville, he had seen plenty of mares before he encountered Lyra. Each one of them was prettier than the last. But this pegasus...she wasn't pretty...she was BEAUTIFUL! Von had never seen a more attractive pony in his whole life...or ever, to be honest. But that might've been the case because he couldn't take his eyes off her breasts...for a moment.

Back on the mountain, Von never specified what pony species he was attracted to the most. It just so happened to be the pegasus. And this one just so happened to be his type. But he wasn't entirely sure. Still though, she looked lovely. To him, it was almost like she was...

"An angel..." He muttered. The pegasus stared at him with a confused look on her face.

"What?" Von shook his head and looked back at her.

"Oh...nothing." He said, getting back onto his feet. The pegasus smiled at him and her wings fluttered a little.

"That's good. I thought I hurt you for a sec. Sorry about that." The mare apologized. Von chuckled a bit and smiled at her.

"It's quite alright. I wasn't watching where I was going." He replied. They stared at each other for another minute and started to laugh together, the other ponies waving to them and they waved back in response. "I'm Von. What's your name?"

"Reina." The pegasus answered. "Hey. How come I've never seen you in Ponyville before?"

"I..." Von didn't have much of an answer. This Reina seemed trustworthy, but he needed to wait before he could reveal the truth. "...just moved here." He finished. "Yeah. I just moved here a few days ago. From Hollow Shades." Reina giggled and smiled at him.

"Really? Me too. Well, i didn't move HERE. I moved up to Cloudsdale. Got my own little house and everything." She told him. Her voice was so alluring. Von felt like he was talking to an angel, the way her soothing voice flowed from her lips. He felt like he just wanted to lay his head in her lap and listen to her lull him to sleep. He felt like he wanted to hear her voice every time he woke up in the morning. He felt...like he heard this voice somewhere before. He wasn't sure how, but Reina's voice sounded oddly familiar to him. As he thought about it, Reina spoke again, breaking his train of thought. "Hey. If you're from Hollow Shades, how come I've never seen you before?"

"I...don't get out much." Von said sorrowfully. It was technically the truth. He was inside his home most of his life since his birth. "So...what do you do up in Cloudsdale?"

"I'm a weather pony. You can tell cuz of my Cutie Mark." Reina said. She pulled the top of her shorts down a bit and showed him. Von looked to where she pointed and saw the mark. The mark present was a rain drop, a rather large one, adorning her supple...luscious...well-toned curves...

_AAAAH! No! You just met her. Don't think stuff like that_, Von screamed at himself in his mind. He felt like he was already giving a bad impression by thinking lewd thoughts about a pony he just met, even if he did think she was beautiful. Reina smiled as she watched him adore her Cutie Mark when she thought of something.

"What's your Cutie Mark?" She asked him. Von stopped staring and looked at her nervously. He was royally screwed. He remembered that his father had a Cutie Mark and told him how he could earn one. _A Cutie Mark represents ones special talent. All ponies have one. Once a pony finds out what they excel best at, their Cutie Mark will appear_, was what his father told him. His father's Cutie Mark was of two swords, which he said he got when he became a knight in the Holy Guard. It was a group of knights and clerics that worked separately from...who was it again...Celestia's Royal Guard.

When Ignus got called away, Von was sure that it was the Holy Guard calling for his aid. Since then, Von had been training hard to become stronger and to find his special talent, just like his father before him. Because he has pony blood inside of him, he would not be exempt from getting a Cutie Mark. He trained hard and vigorously everyday, whether it had been with Eldrich, his mother or even by himself, all in hopes that he would find his calling.

And yet to this day, he has still not discovered his special talent. "...I don't have a Cutie Mark." He finally answered her. Reina gasped a little and looked at him.

"W-why not?"

"I'm still looking for my special talent. But I'm sure I'll find it. Thanks for being concerned though." He said, smiling. Reina smiled back after a moment and she stayed silent to allow Von to speak again. "So...I was wondering. If you aren't doing anyhing, would you maybe...wanna hang out sometime?" Reina giggled and looked at him with a teasing grin.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" She inquired. Von's face flushed with red at her straightforwardness and with little reluctance, he slowly nodded his head. "Hmm...sure!" She answered, jumping for joy. Von was a little confused. He was happy to see Reina smiling, but he didn't think she'd be THIS happy just because he asked her on a date. Maybe she had a crush on him, too.

...Nah.

Von stared at her for a moment. "Um...Why are you so happy?" He asked. Reina stopped and blushed as she looked away from him.

"W-well...*ahem*...it's just...you're the first stallion who's ever asked me out before." She admitted. Von blinked, trying to understand what it was he was just told.

"You've...never been asked out by a stallion?" He asked. Reina nodded her head. "How come?"

"I guess they just weren't interested." She bluntly stated. Von couldn't believe his ears. How could this beautiful mare not have any stallions vying for her attention or even ATTEMPT to ask her out. It ought to be a crime...though that may be a little over the top. Von smiled at her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, I promise to give you the time of your life." He told her. He stopped and thought for a moment. _...Nah. That didn't sound perverted at all. ...Did it?_ Reina smiled at him and turned away as she spread her wings.

"Great. We can go out tomorrow then. I kinda have to get back up to Cloudsdale. I have to help gather some of the rain clouds. We're scheduled for some rain some time this week. See ya." She bid farewell with a wave of her hand and a single flap, she flew away. Von waved goodbye as she faded into the distance and once she was out of sight, one of the biggest smiles ever seen in Equestria spread across his cheeks.

"AWESOME!" He shouted to the heavens. Of course, it only took him a moment to realize that he was still outside as he looked around and saw the eyes of many mares, stallions, fillies and colts staring at him. They all seemed worried, some of them a little scared or disturbed at his sudden outburst. Embarrassed, Von smiled sheepishly and walked away from the eyes of the crowd.

However, while he was on his way back to Lyra's, he felt something strange. It was tingly. Not the feeling he felt in his heart just TALKING with that pegasus, but it was something different.

"What the hay?" He looked at his body and didn't notice anything different. But just then, he felt something pointy touch his tongue. He licked around inside his mouth and felt something familiar: fangs. He frantically looked around until he saw the window of a store and ran up to it and looked at his reflection. He opened his mouth and right inside were his fangs. But he noticed something else, too. His normal pupils had become slits once more. In addition, he felt a warm yet soothing feeling in his gut. There was no doubt about it. Only one thought had crossed his mind: the potion was wearing off! "Oh no oh no oh no. Not now!" He yelled to himself. He turned back onto his original path and started to sprint to Lyra's. He didn't bother to stop and wave to the ponies that greeted him as he passed by. Instead, he just let out a quick "Hi" as he continued to run. He was so close. Just a couple more feet and he'd be-

_BAM!_ Von crashed into another pony. He opened his eyes and looked at the pony...or rather ponies in front of him. It was actually a single pony, but he was seeing two of her because of how dizzy he was. It was a unicorn mare with a lavender coat, the same color that made him think of his step father and a purple-pink mane, complete with a star Cutie Mark. She was wearing a short skirt and the way her mane looked, he guessed that she was a librarian of sorts.

"Oh my. I'm so sorry." The mare apologized. Von was still panicking as he could slowly feel the effects of the potion wearing off with each second that passed.

"No no. It's alright." Von said with a nervous and jittery tone. He quickly got back onto his feet and dusted himself off as he was about to go, but he felt a magical force prevent him from leaving. He turned and looked at the unicorn and noticed that her horn was glowing, just the same way Lyra's was earlier in the day. She was using her magic on him to keep him in place.

"I sense a strange magic coming from you. No...not magic. More like hidden potential of some kind. Are you from around here?" The mare asked. Von was panicking more and more, screaming inside his mind for him to hurry home, his eyes begging the mare to release him.

"No! I'm not." Von replied. The mare studied him more, as if trying to find out what he really was and this caused Von's heartbeat to quicken as her gaze intensified. Finally, the mare looked him the eyes and stared at him. Inside, she was deeply confused. She had never seen a pony with eyes like his before. She wanted to know how they got that way. She wanted to know more about him.

"Where are you from?" She inquired. Von was getting fed up playing 20 Questions with her. He wanted to hurry and get this over with so he could go home.

"Hollow Shades. I just moved here!" He yelled. The unicorn continued to hold him in place with her magic, still studying him as Von continued to panic as he could feel another part of his body starting to change back. He had to think of something quick before he was discovered. He looked at the mysterious unicorn and...wait. That was it. She didn't know him and he didn't know her. So maybe... "Hey. I didn't get your name." He told her. The mare's eyes widened in realization and her horn stopped glowing, her magic releasing him in the process.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I was asking you all these questions and I never even told you my name." She said. She closed her eyes and cleared her throat. "Good evening, My name is Twi-"

"Sorry! Gotta run!" Von shouted, interrupting Twilight. He turned away and ran off when suddenly something smacked Twilight in the face. She stumbled back and rubbed her cheek with her palm and she looked back to Von as he kept running.

"Hey!" She yelled. Von didn't answer and just kept running. Twilight levitated some of the books she was bringing home with her and placed them back in her bag. Her cheek still hurt and when she got home, she looked in her mirror and saw the indent of a dragon's tail on her cheek.

Von continued to run, getting closer and closer to his destination when he felt another change. Something under the shirt he wore was trying to break free. He realized his wings had come back and that only made him freak out more. Only a few more parts of his body had to change back before he was normal again. Von ran into another pony but instead of crashing into her this time, he ran by her and caused her to spin out of control in an orange blur.

"What in tarnation?" He heard the mare call out. Again, he ignored it and continued running until finally, he arrived at Lyra's. He opened the door and ran inside, slamming the door behind him and locking it. He panted heavily and looked to the stairs and yelled for the mint green mare.

"LYRA!" He shouted. No response. His panic started to subside, but he was a little worried. He walked upstairs in search for the mare when he heard a noise. It was the sound of ragged and heavy breathing. His ears twitched a little more as he listened intently to the sound: it was definitely Lyra's voice. "Lyra?" He called out again. This time, he got an answer.

"W-what?" He heard her say. Her breathing was a little off and the noises got louder as he crept closer to the room. "I-i'm b-busy right n-OOOOH that feels good." Von sat in front of the door. He knows he heard a sound like that before. Right now, he was in no drakes-land. If he opened the door, he would see something that didn't need to be seen. But he desperately needed more of the potion so he could go on his date with Reina tomorrow. He was stumped. Either he opened the door and got possibly scarred for life or he leaves her alone. As he thought about it, an image of his mother and himself from a week ago, came to mind.

[~~~~~~]

"Hey mom. What was it like when you and dad met?" He had asked her. Silva giggled at his question.

"It was quite a magical moment. Your father...around him, I felt more loved than anyone in my entire life. I never believed that I would be loved as much as he did me. Especially from a pony." She replied. "I always wanted to do my best for him. Make sure he came to a clean home. To make sure that whatever stress he was dealing with, I would relieve him of it. To make sure that he was well-fed and I would always clean his injuries. Granted, your father got hurt just about everyday, but it made me happy to know that I could help him in some way."

"And what did dad think of you?" Von asked. Silva's entire body turned pink when he asked that question. She regained her composure and looked back at her child.

"Your father...he thought I was an angel. He made me feel like the most beautiful dragon in the world. He wanted to do everything in his power to make me happy and I wanted to do the same. He made me feel special and I knew...that one day he and I were meant to be together..."

[~~~~~~]

Von thought the same thing about Reina. She was an angel. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to get to know her and vice versa. And more importantly, he wanted her to accept him for what he really was. And the only way that could come true is if he went on this date. He took a deep breath and reached for the door with his hand and opened the door.

"B-Bon Bon. Not there..." Lyra moaned as the beige mare licked her horn. Von's eyes widened in shock at the act in front of him.

"Um..."

Lyra and Bon Bon looked up and saw the young half breed sitting in the doorway. Lyra simply blushed, but Bon Bon's face filled with fright.

"W-w-w-w..." She stammered. Bon Bon was beyond shocked. She'd never seen something like Von before in her entire life. She had heard rumors of dragonborn ponies, but never thought that any of them existed. And there was one right there in front of her. Sitting right there. In Lyra's house. Lyra looked to her marefriend and sheepishly smiled before turning back to Von.

"The potion wore off?" She asked. Von nodded his head in response, looking back to his body and seeing that the potion wore off entirely.

"Yeah. I was trying to tell you what happened...but it seems you're a little busy right now." Von said, chuckling. Lyra blushed as some of the drool on her horn dripped onto her muzzle.

"Uh...yeah. Um...it's getting a little late. Why don't you go on ahead and rest up and we'll-"

"Talk later, right?" Von said, finishing her sentence. "Right. That might be better." Von turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him with his tail as he proceeded to the guest room. However the moment he closed the door, the sound of Bon Bon screaming emitted from the bedroom but it was muffled soon after. Von went into the room and closed the door behind him. He no longer heard the screams of Lyra's mare and he leaped onto the bed. He narrowly dodged a bullet today. But in the process, he met the most wonderful mare ever. And the best part: he was going out on a date. His very first date. He would have to do everything in his power to make sure nothing went wrong. But what would he wear? Where would he take her? What would they eat? What would they do? Would he have to wear cologne? Would she expect him to bring flowers? What if she changed her mind? What if she didn't like him? What if she didn't want to be around him? And why was he asking himself all these questions?

"Calm down, Von. It's just a date. Your first date, yes. But no need to fret. Just...be yourself." He told himself. He rolled his eyes at his last words. "Yeah. 'Be myself'. How can I do that when I can't even be my true self around her? ...Maybe if I just act how I normally do, then she might see that I'm not that different from anypony when I reveal myself. Yeah! That'll work." He smiled and curled up on the bed and closed his eyes, drifting off into peaceful slumber as he continued to dream of the time he and his mother spent together.

* * *

"So dad treated you like you were a goddess?" Von asked.

"Yes. He made me feel like I was the only one for him. He accepted me for what I really was. He didn't care about my species. He just wanted to make me happy. I never once wanted to leave his side. I wanted to stay by him always. Because I knew he was the one for me." Silva replied with a smile. Von chuckled and looked up at his mom.

"That's a really romantic story, mom."

"And then we fucked!"

"Dammit mom!"

Chapter 4-End


	5. Cold shoulder

"Daddy, why are we here?" The young kirin asked his father. Ignus chuckled and patted Von's head as they continued onward to a large building.

"Well, your mother has gone to spend time with a few other dragonesses and I certainly couldn't let you stay home alone." He told him. Von pouted and looked up at his father.

"But I wasn't going to be alone. I was gonna go play with R-"

"Exactly. I couldn't let you stay home alone. You are too young to be staying in the house alone with a mare...or filly, in this case." Ignus said. "Now come. Now you get to see where your daddy works." The two of them continued forward until the large building came into full view, appearing to look similar to a castle but it was not. All around and inside it, there were sword-wielding stallions and mares and even a few nurse mares.

"Wow! What is this place?" Von asked. Ignus chuckled and stepped in front of them before they entered.

"Welcome to Holy Guard Headquarters." He exclaimed proudly.

"Well well well. If it isn't Ignus." A stallion's voice called out. Ignus turned around and smiled while Von stood there and stared at the stallion. It was an armored unicorn with a somewhat muscular build that stood at about Ignus'. He had a dark red-coat, a striped mane of silver and gray and emerald green eyes. To his sides were two large axes and adorning his side was a Cutie Mark in the form of a medal. "You aren't on duty today. Why are you here?"

"Well my wife has gone out, so I brought my son here to see the line of work I'm in." Ignus explained. The unicorn stallion looked to Von with a glare of utter disgust and hatred that caused the young kirin to hide behind his father.

"So that's the demon child you bore, huh?" The unicorn hissed. Ignus looked to his companion.

"Now now, Bastion. I would appreciate it if you didn't call him that. He's like any normal colt. Just trust me on this." He pleaded. Bastion looked to Ignus and back at Von before he turned his back to them.

"Whatever. Just make sure he doesn't break anything, got it?!" Bastion declared as he walked away. Von's ears dropped down but perked back up when Ignus whispered to him.

"Don't mind Bastion. He's always cranky. But his mood always lightens when I do this. Watch." Ignus straightened himself back up and called out to Bastion. "Hey Bastion! I heard Sheryl's been looking for you!" Bastion's ears perked up and he glanced back towards the father and his child. Von could hardly see it, but a blush appeared on Bastion's cheeks before he continued onward. Von smiled and laughed at that little display, earning a smile from his father. "That's my boy. Now come on. It's time you learn an important part of being one of the Holy Guard."

"What's that, daddy?" Von asked. Ignus chuckled and took Von further into the headquarters. After some time, Ignus led Von into a part of the building that seemed almost like a church. The area gave off a gentle and peaceful aura. Inside this part of the building were many stallions and mares and in the very front was an old stallion, dress almost like a preacher.

"And to finish off today's sermon, I would like to ask for one of you to come up here and speak the final prayer. Is there anypony willing?" The old pony asked. None of the Holy Guards spoke or raised their hands.

"I'll do it." Ignus called out. The entire crowd looked back towards Ignus and Von, their eyes widening in shock upon seeing the kirin. Ignus walked to the front of the room with Von following close behind him, completely aware of the stares that he was getting until they reached the podium the preacher had stood at. Ignus and Von turned to face the crowd, all of them now focusing on Ignus.

"Dad..." Von mumbled, hiding behind his father. Ignus turned his head and looked back to the young half breed.

"Watch closely, Von. I'm hoping you'll carry this prayer with you when you get older." He whispered. He turned back to the crowd and began to speak the prayer, the crowd repeating his words in unison.

_"My honored brethren...we come together, to unite as one...Against those that are damned, we show no mercy...for we have none...Our enemies shall fall, as we apprise...to claim our fate. Now and forever...we'll be together...in love and in hate..._"

Von watched intently as his father recited those words with ease and took them to heart. Von could see the underlying message in those words but before he could say anything to his father about it, Ignus got the jump on him.

"You know it too, right? That is the motto of the Holy Guard. To fight for what you believe in, no matter the odds. If anyone gets in the way of your dreams or your hopes, don't let them. Stay strong and let that hope be your guide. No matter how bleak things look, no matter how hurt you are, even if all is lost...you must never surrender." Ignus told him. Von nodded his head in response. The two of them talked amongst each other a bit more, Von prancing around his father until another stallion came up to them.

"Lieutenant Ignus?" The stallion called to him. Ignus looked at him.

"What is it, soldier?" He replied.

"There is somepony here to see you...she says it's urgent." The stallion nodded his head back towards the pony in question and she stepped forward to them. It was a white mare with matching wings and a multi-color mane. She wore a white dress with golden trimmings and it had a long slit up the side of her legs. But something was odd about her. Von knew about earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi but he'd never seen a pegasus with a unicorn horn before. She was tall and wore some kind of royal jewelry and adorning her flank was a Cutie Mark in the shape of the sun.

"May I help you?" Ignus asked. The mare giggled and looked at him.

"Indeed you can. I would like to speak to you in private." She told him. Ignus looked at her in confusion.

"And your name would be?" The mare giggled again and smiled.

"How rude of me. I grow tired of formal introductions, but I suppose I must." She cleared her throat and smiled at Ignus and even Von, much to his confusion as she spoke her name.

"My name is Princess Celestia."

* * *

Von awoke from his slumber and looked outside. A new day was dawning and it came to mind that today was the day he and Reina would go on their date. He sat up in the bed and yawned, scratching his side with his claw.

"Another dream..." He muttered. He looked at the ceiling, thinking hard about the words his father spoke.

_Stay strong and let that hope be your guide. No matter how bleak things look, no matter how hurt you are, even if all is lost...you must never surrender._

"Never surrender, huh?" He repeated. He chuckled at the thought when another crossed his mind. "Princess Celestia...what did she want my father for anyway?" He sighed, rose up from the bed and went over to the window. "Well...whatever. It was in the past. Right now, I got more important things to worry about. The main thing on today's agenda: get ready for my date!" He squee'd and ran out of the room so he could speak with Lyra about the pegasus he met. His heart was leaping for joy and his eyes glimmered with hope. Today was going to be a good day...

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"WHAT?! Are you serious?!" Lyra yelled at the sudden news. Von nodded sheepishly.

"Yes. I'm going out on a date today."

"Oh wow. Just one day as a normal stallion and already you found yourself a mare." Lyra praised. "I'm impressed. So where are you going to take her?" Von lifted his finger in an attempt to respond, but nothing came to mind. He hadn't thought about it. Where WOULD he take her?

"I'm so screwed..." He groaned. Lyra giggled and looked back to Bon Bon, who was still quite stunned about Von's appearance.

"Bonnie, mind helping me out a bit here?" She asked. Bon Bon didn't respond. Von lifted his head and looked to the earth pony and frowned a little.

"It's my fault she's like that." He said. Lyra immediately smacked him in the back of his head with her hoof. "What was that for?!"

"Don't go pulling that crap. It's not your...well...maybe a little. But that's because she's never seen one of your kind before. Come on Bonnie. Pull yourself together." She called to her marefriend. Bon Bon quickly regained her composure and looked to the unicorn.

"Huh? Oh. Sorry." She apologized. She looked over at Von, still a tad uneasy but willing to speak to him. "So who is this mare?" Von sighed a love-filled sigh as he looked to the both of them.

"Her name's Reina. She's a pegasus, a weather pony from Cloudsdale." He told them. "She's sweet, funny, athletic, has never been asked out by a stallion and most of all, she's beautiful." He nearly fell to the floor upon emphasizing that last word and his tail wagged with excitement. "And get this: she's from Hollow Shades, just like me."

"Hollow Shades? But nopony has been there in years." Bon Bon exclaimed. Von lowered his head again.

"Yeah, i know. There were alot of residents there, even while I was around. But eventually, everypony started leaving. I think the reason for it was because of all the events that had been going on. Things in Ponyville, events in Canterlot, the rise of the Crystal Empire..." Von trailed off and began thinking hard about the Crystal Empire. _I want to see that place for myself_, he thought. He shook the thought out his head and looked into the eyes of the two mares. "But I do know that mom goes back there on occasion. She goes to visit out old home and think about all the memories we made there. She leaves violets, dad's favorite flower, by the doorstep and usually stays for about an hour." Bon Bon and Lyra looked at each other and back at Von, waiting for him to continue but he didn't. He didn't want to say and he didn't want either of them to ask why, but it was too late for that.

"Why does she wait there?" Lyra asked. Von sighed and turned away from them.

"...She waits there in hopes that my dad would return." He deadpanned. Lyra and Bon Bon kept quiet, as did Von. Silva missed Ignus with a passion. The days they spent together, the time they spent talking with one another, the nights they would cuddle together and the evenings they spent as a family. But the one who probably missed Ignus more was Von. His father left while he was of a young age. Something like this would leave a deep scar in a child's heart: growing up without his father, his REAL father for most of his life, dealing with the ridicule from others because of his origins, suffering the abuse from the stand-in that keeps calling himself his father. It was all too much and he'd had it.

Von shrugged off those thoughts and smiled. It would do him no good to dwell on the past, not when the most amazing thing was going to happen for him today.

"Anyway," He started, "where do you think I should take her?" The two mares started tapping their chins and thought about it. Where could Von, a first-timer in the dating world, take a pegasus who has also never been on a date before?

"Hmmm." They both hummed. Suddenly, wide smiles spread across their cheeks as they looked at him. "A picnic." They said in unison.

"A picnic?" He repeated. _But doesn't that seem kind of cheap?_, he thought to himself. "Why a picnic?"

"Well think about it for a second. The two of you go on a picnic together, head up to one of the tallest hills in Ponyville, all alone and you eat your food together." Lyra started. She nodded her head to Bon Bon, who started to speak.

"Then while you guys are there together, you confess to her how you feel and admit what you really are. But only do it when the mood is just right. And if anything she'll confess to you, too." Von just stared at them in shock.

_Do they seriously believe that something THAT sappy is actually going to work?_, he thought. _That's probably how they got together anyway. Might as well humor them._ "Yeah. That might work." He lied. Lyra giggled and proceeded to the front door, Bon Bon tailing behind her.

"Well, I'm gonna see if I can get Zecora to make some more of that brew. I'll see you in a few." She said. She waved goodbye and they both trotted out the door. Von smiled and sat down on the couch, daydreaming of the event that would soon come about. Him and Reina, side by side, sharing a romantic moment. And then when the time would come, Von and Reina would share a kiss as the day went by. She'd caress his cheek with her hand and then-

"Whoa! Heh. Better keep those thoughts out of my head." Von told himself. He looked down and facepalmed at the sight of his shame. Even though he told himself not to think of such things, his body could not hide its arousal. He sighed in irritation. "Perfect..."

About an hour passed when Lyra and Bon Bon returned. Von had gulped down the potion that she brought back and once again gained his stallion form. He donned the clothes Lyra had given him and grabbed the basket that he prepared while they were gone. He lifted one of his hooves and waved goodbye to the two mares as he left the house. Lyra smiled as he departed and turned to sit on the couch when she noticed something. There was a white spot on the couch that she never noticed before. She leaned closer to it and sniffed. It was musky...and fresh...

"He didn't..." She mumbled. Bon Bon walked over to Lyra, still looking back to the door and accidentally bumped into her mare, causing said unicorn to hit the white spot with her nose. Lyra's eyes shot wide open the moment she hit it and a blush appeared on her face.

"Something wrong, Lyra?" Bon Bon asked. Lyra gasped and used her magic to grab a napkin and wiped up the white spot and what was on her face before she turned and smiled nervously at the earth pony.

"Oh...nothing." She lied. She giggled nervously and started cursing mentally. _I'm going to kill him when he gets back!_

* * *

Von strolled through Ponyville, as happy as can be. He was finally going to go on a date with the mare of his dreams. ...In a sense. He always DID dream of being with a beautiful mare and now he was GOING OUT with a beautiful mare.

"This is so awesome! I can't believe i'm going on a date! And with a pegasus." Von told himself. As he trotted down the street, he started humming to himself until the mare he was thinking of came into view. "Reina!"

"Von!" She replied as the stallion called out to her. "What's with the basket?" Von smiled sheepishly and looked her in the eyes.

"Well...I just thought that maybe we could go on a picnic. You know, sit on the hill, eat some food, get to know each other and make out." Reina's face flushed red and raised a brow at him.

"Um...what was that last one?" She inquired.

"...eat food." Von lied. Reina giggled and smiled at him.

"Well, you did put alot of effort into this. So yeah. I'd like to go on a picnic. I know just the spot, too. Come on." She spread her wings and started flying, but at a low enough speed and altitude so that Von could follow her. He happily followed, walking behind her with the basket in his hand and smiling.

_This is so awesome!_, he thought.

~15 minutes later~

_This is horrible!_, he thought. _The entire time we've been up here, I've barely spoken a word and being so close to her is...well, wonderful but embarrassing at the same time!_ Von had been internally cursing and screaming at himself some time after he and Reina arrived at their dating site. They shared a few words of conversation until things went quiet. Reina started eating some of the food, paying no mind to the fact of how silent Von was, while Von himself was panicking. _Ok. Calm down. Stay calm. You're on a date. You're here with the mare you have a crush on. She seems fond of you. Sure, you're lying about what you really are just to be around her but it's not so bad...right?_

"Hey." Reina called out, snapping Von out of his train of thought.

"Y-yes?" He replied.

"What do you think of me?" Von's face flushed with red, but it went away when he mentally slapped himself.

_You idiot! She just asked what you think of her! Now's your chance to confess. Tell her how you feel!_ "Um...well...I think you're really sweet and kind. You seem really smart, too. I actually find it cute how athletic you are and you're really funny and..." _Come on, Von! Bring it on home!_ Von swallowed hard and looked into the green eyes of the pegasus. There was no turning back. He had to confess or Reina would never know how he felt.

"And?" Reina asked, wanting to hear the rest.

"And...I think...you'rethemostbeautifulmarei'veevermetsowillyougooutwithme?" Von spat out all at once. He stopped to catch his breath, his gaze meeting Reina's and she was shocked. Her face was completely flushed with embarrassment, her wings spread out to her sides and she stood completely still.

"You...you think i'm...beautiful?" She asked with a stunned tone. Von couldn't find words, so he nodded his head slowly. "And...did you...just ask me...out?" Von nodded.

"I...want you to be my marefriend." He confessed. The two of them continued to stare at each other, both of them completely red with embarrassment and gazing into the other's eyes. They stayed silent for a moment, Reina beginning to move closer to him.

"You really want me?" She inquired. Von nodded in response and took a step forward of his own.

"Yeah. I really mean it." They stepped closer and closer to each until there was little distance between them.

"You don't know how long i was waiting to hear that." Reina said, giggling. She closed her eyes and leaned closer to Von, her lips pursed. Von's eyes widened with shock as a sudden realization struck him: he was about to receive his first kiss. It was all about to happen. All he needed to do was respond the same way and it was official. As he leaned in and pursed his lips with his eyes closed, something came back to mind. He stopped and looked at Reina.

"Hold on, Reina. Before we kiss, I have something I want to say." Reina fixed her face and leaned back, staring at him puzzled.

"What is it?" She asked. Von swallowed and looked at her.

"I'm...I'm not really a-"

_BOOOOOM!_

A loud explosion echoed through the air, interrupting Von as the two looked around.

"What was that?" He asked. The two kept searching the area until Reina pointed her hoof outward.

"Look!" She shouted. Von looked to where she pointed and saw a pillar of smoke coming from the center of Ponyville. Von sniffed the air and caught the scent of the smoke. It was most certainly caused by a fire, but not just ANY fire. No...this was different. Something more lethal...and much more powerful. Sensing something terribly wrong, Von galloped down the hill and proceeded towards Ponyville. "Hey! Wait! It's too dangerous!" Reina called out, chasing after the disguised kirin.

_If this is what I think it is...then everypony will know the truth!_, he thought as he continued on. He had a feeling in his gut that he was right. And that wasn't the only thing he was feeling. He could feel the potion wearing off...but it didn't matter anymore.

* * *

The two of them continued running through the streets of Ponyville, more pillars of smoke forming in town. They followed the path of destruction until they reached the source of the flames. Von's eyes widened in horror and Reina took a step away from the beast.

"W-w-w-what's a..." She stuttered. Though she was about to retreat, Von did not as he knew that one day he'd confront this foe once more.

"I knew it..." He murmured.

Standing before him and a crowd of terrifying ponies was none other than Von's step brother, Nova. Nova cocked his head back and took notice of the two ponies behind him. He turned to them, sword in hand and stepped forward. Reina was shaking just a bit, but she managed to stay tough. Von, however, was not shaking nor rearing back.

"You two. I have a question to ask you." Nova stated. "I am in search of a young half-breed. He goes by the name of Von. I know he has come here. Where is he?" Reina shook off her fear and stepped forward.

"There is only one Von here and that's this stallion here." She said, pointing to Von. "There is no half-breed or whatever here. So please leave." Nova continued to stare at her until his gaze turned towards the stallion. Their eyes locked and an intense flame roused up inside them both. Nova took his sword and held it to his side, smiling down at Von.

"Nice to see you again, little brother."

"..." Von stayed silent, staring back up at his step brother as the potion continued to wear off. Reina looked over at him and noticed that his tail was longer and no longer hairy.

"Von?" She called to him. He didn't reply.

"Why are you here, Nova?" Von demanded. Nova sighed and looked back at him.

"I was sent by father to bring you back. If you come without resistance, then father will forgive you." Nova explained. Von growled at him, his body reforming back to its natural state.

"Forget it. I don't intend on going back to that asshole." Von declared. Nova sighed and looked to his brother.

"I thought as much. I guess I really will have to use force." He said sorrowfully. He redirected his attention back to Reina and unleashed a torrent of flame upon the pegasus. She closed her eyes and covered herself with her wings, bracing herself for impact. But the fiery feeling never came. She opened her wings and saw Von standing over her, his form having been restored. He flapped his wings and shrugged off the burning flames before turning back to his brother. "You may have beaten me once, but I was holding back. Now you will face the real power of a true dragon!"

At the moment of his declaration, Nova's strength began to climb the charts. A fearsome pressure caused Von's body to shake. He had never felt anything like this before. So this was the power of Nova...

"Now come, brother. Come and be defeated by my blade." Nova declared, pointing his blade to Von. The potion had worn off, Von was back to his normal state but he was still stricken with fear. The power Nova had right now...it was on a whole different level. Von was about to face one of his toughest foes yet...but he wasn't going to let that stop him. He got into his stance and glared at the sword wielder. "That's what I like to see. Now come! Face me like a warrior."

Von made the first move and charged at Nova. Nova grew a bit disappointed at Von's careless attack and countered with a whip of his tail. It struck Von's face and sent him tumbling over to the ground. Von stood back up and turned his head to Nova, noticing the crowd of ponies having backed away to give room for their bout.

"Come now, Von. I know that isn't the extent of your strength. Fight me seriously." Nova demanded. He was right. Von wasn't exactly fighting seriously. But he couldn't lose here. If he did, he'd have to go back to the mountain. Von snorted some steam from his nose and got back into his stance. Nova saw the determination in his eyes and realized that Von was about to get serious. This only strengthened his own fighting spirit and he snorted black smoke out of his own nose. Von charged him again, causing Nova to counter with his tail but Von leaped over it and flew up to Nova's face. Having been caught off guard, Nova stumbled back a bit, but it was too late.

Von whipped his head and headbutted Nova, but he wasn't done there. He spun around and whipped Nova's face with his tail and lastly, he got closer to Nova and kicked his feet into Nova's chest, causing him to fall onto his back. When his feet made contact, Von flapped his wings to send him backwards in order to avoid a counter-attack. Von panted heavily and looked to the dragon swordsman, who was starting to pick himself off the ground and was chuckling.

"I see Eldrich taught you well in the ways of Dragon-kata." Nova proclaimed. "But I know you have more. Come on!" Nova made a preemptive strike, however and slammed Von's head into the ground before he could act. Von managed to pick himself up and proceeded to strike back. All the ponies, including Reina, watched in horror as Nova and Von went back and forth in their battle. Nova was hardly breaking a sweat while Von was putting in all his effort just to lay a single scratch on him. He managed to land a couple of blows on him, but nothing compared to the ones he got in return. The two dragons backed away from one another, Von being completely out of breath. It was a struggle for him to even stand.

"I can't...give up..." Von muttered. "I...I won't..." Nova groaned and looked down at the halfling.

"Why are you so insistent on fighting? Just give in and come back. Father will forgive you and I may be able to convince him to leave the ponies be." He pleaded. Von shook off his exhaustion and looked up at Nova.

"Because coexisting with ponies is my dream. And somepony told me to never give up on my dreams. That if all seemed lost...I was to never give up hope." He declared. "And my hopes and dreams matter more than what HE thinks. If he wanted me to come back, then why didn't he come here himself instead of sending his dog after me?!" Nova's eye twitched upon hearing the word 'dog' and flames formed in his mouth.

"Do not speak of father THAT WAY!" He yelled, expelling the flames from his mouth and they consumed the young kirin in a wave of blazing heat.

"Von!" Reina cried as she tried to run to his aid, but she was stopped by an invisible force. She turned her head and behind her was Bon Bon and Lyra, who was using her magic to keep her in place. "Let me go!"

"I can't. I'm sorry, but..." Lyra looked away from Reina, as did Bon Bon and tears formed in all three of their eyes. Nova cackled as his flames continued to burn the body of Von.

"Perhaps you'll learn to respect my father...IN HELL!" He yelled. The flames started to die down...but not really. It looked like they were gathering...forming around a single entity. Nova's eyes widened in shock upon seeing this. "No...that can't be. You're supposed to be-" Before he could finish a large ball of fire collided with his chest, sending the dragon flying backwards into the side of one of the houses. The ponies turned back to the fireball as it landed on the ground and when the flames dispersed, Von was revealed from within.

"Von!" Reina, Lyra and Bon Bon shouted with joy. Nova rubbed his head and coughed up a bit of blood as he looked back towards Von.

_Meteor Dash...that's an advanced fire skill!_, he thought. He looked down at himself, noticing the wound he suffered. It wasn't too serious, but if he kept fighting now, it would become just that. He sheathed his sword and looked past the crowd and at the kirin. "You win this time, little brother. I will honor the warrior's code and let you be. But the next time I arrive, I WILL defeat you." Von looked over at Nova, only to see that he had flown off after his declaration. Once he departed, all attention had been drawn back to Von.

It was all out there now. The truth had finally been revealed. After hiding it for so long, there was no way that he could anymore. He knew this day would come, but he wanted to admit the truth himself. Everypony now knew what Von really was. He looked around at the crowd. Every stallion and mare, every filly and colt was now looking at Von with fear in their eyes.

_A creature of sin...why is THAT among us...what if he attacks us...don't look at him...he's just a monster._ Those were the insults Von had suffered back in Hollow Shades. The insults he suffered back on the mountain. The pain he felt. The sorrow that flooded his mind. The rejection he got. It was all starting to come back. He had hoped things would be different...but it was all the same. He could see it in their eyes. Reina stepped forward to comfort him, but he looked back to her with tear-filled eyes. She could see his pain and this was hurting her as well.

"Von..." She said in a low-tone. She took another step forward, but Von stepped away from her.

"It was stupid of me to think that things would be different for me." Von said, crying. "I'm just a child of sin. A demon spawn. I'm just a monster!" Von turned and ran away from her and didn't look back. Reina stood there in the middle of the crowd, watching Von fade from her view. Lyra and Bon Bon came over to her in order to comfort her, for they knew that she was hurting as well. She was hurting because Von was hurt. All Von wanted to do was coexist with the ponies. To live among them. To understand them. To show that he was no different than the rest of them. All his efforts had gone to waste. His hopes had been crushed. All he wanted was to be accepted. But why did he even bother? What was the meaning behind his efforts? What was the point in it all?

...There was no point. There was no point in his trying. There was no more need to try...not when he always gets the cold shoulder...

Chapter 5-End


	6. Discovery

"Daddy? Am I a horrible child?" Inquired the young kirin. Ignus looked at Von with shock and awe, trying to comprehend what his son just asked him. Von had asked Silva this on numerous occasions, but he never asked his father before.

"I'm sure your mother has told you numerous times: you're not a horrible child, Von. You aren't a beast of burden and you aren't a demon child." Ignus explained. Von lowered his head, his ears dropping to the back of his head.

"Then why weren't you speaking?" He asked. "Ever since you talked to that princess pony, you haven't said a single word to me." Von certainly knew how to tug at his parents' heartstrings. And this just so happened to be Ignus'. Multiple times whenever something of grave importance came to his attention, Ignus would not speak to Von or Silva. It was as though he was ignoring them. But that was not the case. Something was on his mind, like any other time...something he couldn't tell him.

"Daddy's just deep in thought. That's all." He told Von. "I could never think that you're a horrible child. If anything, you're a wonderful child. One that Silva and myself are proud to have brought into this world." Von smiled brightly at his father's comment and hugged him.

"Thanks, dad." Von said. "I'm sorry. It's just...it really hurts when all the other ponies at home make fun of me because of what I am. They've been saying alot of mean things to me." He told him. The two of them stopped walking as Von sat down and stared sorrowfully at the dirt road. Ignus was aware of Von's pain. He'd always been aware of what would come his way the moment he was born. But that only strengthened Ignus' resolve to fill Von's heart with hope, so that he could forget his pain and look for a brighter future. The road would be tough, as it is for all life in Equestria. But anypony can achieve anything if they put their mind to it. So long as you don't lose hope, your dreams will become reality.

"Daddy? You're spacing out again." Von said, instantly snapping Ignus out of his trance.

"Oh...uh sorry. Now...what have they been saying to you?" The earth pony knight inquired. Von took a deep breath and looked up at his father.

"All the colts at home avoid me like i'm some kind of disease and run away when i try to get near them. They laugh at me for saying that I wanted to be friends with them and try to beat me up. And when I CAN get near one and have a conversation, their parents take them away, saying 'Stay away from that thing' or 'Didn't I tell you not to get near that?' and even 'Don't get near that monster.' I hate it!" Von explained, emphasizing his last sentence by nearly bursting into tears. "I'm not a monster...am I?"

Ignus wrapped his arm around Von and brought him in for a hug. "You're not a monster. You're unique. A kirin has not been born before. You are the first. That makes you special."

"Then why does being special hurt so much?" Von retorted, wiping his tears.

"Because there is always a price to us having something that others don't. As well as us doing things that others do not, like my falling in love with your mother." Ignus explained. He opened his mouth to say more, but the two of them had finally reached home and waiting by the entrance to the town was a young pegasus filly. She smiled upon seeing Von and Von smiled back. "Go on, sport. Play with your friend." Von smiled big and hugged his father.

"Don't forget about what you promised you'd do." Von reminded him. Ignus chuckled and patted his head.

"I won't. Now run along." The kirin let go of his father and ran to the pegasus and the two of them ran off together.

"I've really improved on my flying. Bet you can't catch me this time." The filly said to him. Von smiled and continued to follow her.

"Alright. You're on, Reina."

* * *

Von continued to run as far away as he could from Ponyville. Past the Everfree Forest and Froggy Bottom Bog until nopony could see or hear him. His tears had left a trail behind, but they could no longer be seen once he had reached the forest. Once he was far enough, he collapsed to the ground, continuing his sobbing.

'Why?! I tried and tried and I failed! I did everything in my power to show them that I'm just like them! But...they're all the same!" Von cried out. "Why...why did I even leave the mountain? Why did I even bother trying?!" Von punched the dirt under him and continued to cry, wrapping his arms around his head. "I...I...*sniff*...I wanna go home. I hate it here!"

Von's sobbing echoed throughout the forest, reverberating all around and back to him and as he listened to his own sobbing, it upset him more. "I...*sniff*..I tried to so hard, like mom and dad told me to. B-but...it was all for nothing. Everypony knows what I am and probably hates me now! Even..." Von opened his now red eyes and looked up at the murky sky. He wanted to go home, he wanted to run and forget his pain. But he knew that if he left, he would be abandoning the mare he was in love with. "Reina...I'm sorry. But I have to go. I can't stay here anymore." He mumbled. He started to get back onto his feet when suddenly, the wind stopped blowing. Everything in the forest fell silent. The only thing he could hear was the sound of his own breathing.

Somepony was there...somepony was watching him.

"Who's there?!" He called out. Though he was sad, he still had some fight in him. "I know you're here!"

No answer.

"Hello?" He called out once more, this time in a frightened tone. Though Von may be part dragon, he WAS still a pony.

No answer. Von began to take a few steps forward when the wind began to blow softly again, but this time he heard a faint voice carry with it.

"Hello?" Von called out. The voice did not respond to him, but it was saying something. Suddenly, the voice spoke louder, loud enough for him to hear clearly. It was a male's voice that was speaking...no...it wasn't speaking. It was doing something else. The voice...it was...singing? It appeared to be singing to him...its voice sounded so soothing...soothing enough to cause the young kirin to get drowsy.

_~Day to night, dark to light_

Fall the sands of time

Let the years, like the gears

Of a clock unwind

In your mind, walk through time

Back to better days

Memories, like a dream

Wash tears away

Like a star in the sky

Darkness can't reach you

Light the night, joy is light

Til the new dawn

Cast away your old face

Let go your spite

With this mask, I'll ask

_To borrow your light~_

Von's vision began to blur as the song he heard started to lull him to sleep. "W-what's..." He fell to his knees and then on his side as he vision blurred even further, no longer able to see clearly. But for a moment, he saw a faint figure approach him. It was definitely a stallion, but it was wearing a cloak. He couldn't see his face, nor could he make out the voice that emitted from him. Yet strangely, the song he heard seemed...quite odd. It was as if he heard somepony sing it before...somepony very close to him.

"Y...you're-" Was all he could get out before he finally fell asleep. In his mind, he believed that the figure was nothing but an illusion. However, it was not.

It was standing over him...

Watching him...

Guarding him as he drifted off to sleep...

_Sleep well, young one..._

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"What?!" Lyra screamed. "You guys know each other?"

"Mm-hm." Reina replied. "I thought he looked familiar when I saw him. Not as a stallion, but as..."

"That?" Bon Bon finished, earning her a smack on the head by Lyra. Reina giggled a bit and then sighed.

"But yes. I knew him back in Hollow Shades. He and I were inseparable. We used to play together alot. He even taught me how to play a game he played with his mother and father. I believe it was called...Dragon's Treasure. The object of the game was for him to hide his treasure somewhere and the player had to look for it."

"So it's almost like Buried Treasure." Lyra replied. Reina nodded and her wings fluttered a bit.

"Yes, but there was something different. If you found the treasure, you had to run away with it without being caught. If you got caught, the dragon would 'attack' you." She explained with a small giggle. "His 'attacks' consisted of tickling until you give up."

"Sounds like you two used to have alot of fun wen you were kids. I bet you guys had little to no problems, huh?" Lyra exclaimed. Reina's smile faded as her ears dropped to the back of her head.

"Actually, Von and I had to deal with a couple bullies back home. Him more than I." Reina said sorrowfully. She began to recount the troubles she and her kirin companion went through in the past. There was a pair of bullies that used to tease Von for his appearance, and Reina along with him when she accompanied him. They would laugh and ridicule them both. On occasion, they would sometimes torment the two to the point of beating Von up in front of her. Reina, being such a kind and considerate filly, could only plead for them to stop and leave them alone. Needless to say, they kept pummeling him until he fell unconscious, Reina crying over him. Von continued to blame himself for when they would start tormenting her when she was with him. Reina knew he was in pain and assured him that it was not his fault. Somehow, she managed to soothe him.

But then one day, he was leaving. Whenever Reina and Von got together, his father always accompanied him. But when Von came to her, his father was nowhere in sight. Tailing behind him was his mother and an elderly dragon. He had told her that he had to leave. There was too much pain around him for them to stay any longer and they were to take off immediately. But before Reina could protest, the elderly dragon assured her that no harm would come to Von. Reluctantly, she accepted this despite bursting into tears. Von could not stand seeing this sight, so he took her head and looked her in the eyes.

_When we get older, we'll meet again. I promise_, was what he told her. And after relaying those words to her, their lips connected. Reina was taken aback by such a thing, but it makes sense since they were so young at the time. She cared for Von deeply, shared a tight bond with him. But this was highly unexpected. Caught in the moment, Reina relaxed and allowed Von to proceed. That day had marked the first kiss they shared...and when Von's new life was set into motion.

"I just hope he comes back soon." Reina said as she looked out the window of Lyra's home. "I hope he's safe..."

_Wherever he is..._

* * *

Von awoke from his slumber the following day and took notice of his surroundings. He was still in the forest that he ran into and he was still alone. Since he was fully rested, he was able to recover from the events of yesterday...somewhat. He was still quite sad, but he had to hold his head high somehow. But despite that...

"I still feel I should go home. I'm sorry Reina, but it seems I have to leave you again..." He whispered to himself. He turned away from the path back to Ponyville and continued onward. However, something caught his eye. It was a cloaked figure. Its face was hidden, but its body type was clearly that of a stallion. It stood there, unmoving as if staring at him. "Hey! Who are you?!" Von called out. The cloaked stallion did not respond with words, but instead it began to run further into the forest.

"Hey! Come back!" Von cried out, giving chase. The stallion continued running deep into the forest, Von following behind him. It didn't make any effort of trying to shake him off. It was as though he was leading him somewhere. But Von paid no attention to this detail, sadly, and continued chasing after him. About 15 minutes passed by, the amount long Von guessed he was running after the stallion, until they came to a clearing. Or moreover, Von did. The stallion was nowhere in sight, but in his place stood a tall building. It was covered in moss and vines, parts of the roof and walls falling off. It looked like a castle. But most importantly...

_I know this place,_ Von thought. Before his very eyes was the building his father took him to as a colt: Holy Guard Headquarters. "HQ? But how?!"

"Because I led you here." A gruff voice replied. Von turned around to see the cloaked stallion standing behind him.

"Hey. I know that voice. You're the voice that lulled me to sleep with my dad's lullaby. How do you know it?! Answer me." Von demanded. The stallion chuckled, but kept his composure.

"You're quite the hot-headed one, aren't you? It must've been heartbreaking to abandon your pony friends, huh?" The stallion asked. Von gritted his teeth and glared at the stallion.

"How do you know that?"

"I've been watching you for quite some time. And by the way, you really should control your urges. Your landmare is most likely going to beat you up for the mess you made." Von's face flushed with red as he knew what the stallion was referring to.

"H-hey! How dare you peep on me! You pervert! You...you..." Von couldn't think of any other insult, but he didn't need to prove anything to this mystery pony. "I'll ask you again: How do you know my father's lullaby?" The stallion smiled under his hood.

"Let's just say...I got to know your pops really well." He replied. Von growled and grabbed the stallion by his throat and pinned him to a tree.

"What did you do to my father?!" Von yelled. The stallion stayed silent for a moment, his face still hidden under the garb.

"You shouldn't give up hope." He spoke. Caught off guard by that remark, Von let the stallion down and backed up.

"W-what?"

"You wanna get along with us ponies better, right? Then you shouldn't give up hope. Ain't that what your old man taught you?" The stallion said. Von looked down and thought for a moment. He had forgotten Ignus' teachings and ran away on impulse. His father would be greatly disappointed if he ever found out about it and so would his mother.

"...Why do you care?" Von asked.

"Because I know how you feel. I know how it feels to try and bring dragons and ponies together in harmony. I know the pain of feeling like your dream will never come true. I know the feeling of rejection because of your interests and the fact you are doing this. But it will be worthwhile in the end. And you may be able to start your own family with your species of interest. Just like I did." Von lifted his head and looked at the stallion with confusion.

"...Who are you? Really." Von inquired. The stallion chuckled and looked at him.

"For now, just call me...Voyager." The stallion replied. "You should check this place out. You might find something interesting. Until we meet again." The stallion then turned away and walked back into the forest.

"W-wait!" Von called out, but Voyager was already gone from sight. "...Voyager huh? But still...he knew the lullaby. Did dad teach him? Heh. Probably. He taught mom and Elder Eldrich, too." He mumbled to himself. He turned his attention back to Holy Guard HQ and looked up at it. "It's been a long time since I've been here. ...He said I'd find something interesting here. Might as well see what this 'interesting thing' is." With that, he proceeded into the building.

Back in his childhood, the Holy Guard Headquarters was quite lively. It was neatly decorated, there were bright lights and colorful stained glass windows. The air within felt holy and safe. But it was no longer like that. All around, the decorations were tattered and worn out, the lights were broken, the stained glass windows were broken or covered in dust and the air...it felt dismal...and dark.

"This isn't anything like it was when I was little." Von said, breaking the silence in the building. He proceeded down a hallway, passing by one of the armories and down the hall that led to the sanctum. Stepping into the area, memories of his time with his father flooded his mind. The day when Ignus brought him to the sanctum was the same day he first met that mare, Princess Celestia. Von was still confused as to what the two of them spoke of, but whatever it was caused Ignus to leave them behind. Von wanted to know why he left and why he didn't come back. And he hoped that the answer would be there in the base.

As Von explored the area more, he noticed something odd. The podium his father stood behind in the past was crooked. There were cobwebs on the sides of it and they were moving slightly. Not on their own, mind you, but being blown by something. Von went to the podium and moved it aside, revealing a hole in the floor.

"A hole?" He muttered. Down inside, he could see a set of stairs. Curious as to where this hole went to, Von went downward. It was dark inside, but this was to be expected of an underground area. Von felt around and soon found a light switch, When it was switched on, the room was alot bigger than he thought.

The area looked like some training facility made from abandoned ruins. But it was a little odd as well. There were a few capsules about, some broken and others still closed up. Inside some of the capsules were strange figures. There was dust all about them, so Von couldn't make out what they were. Von stepped closer to one of them and began to wipe it off with his hoof. In his mind, he was frightened as to what it was.

Was it a monster? Was it alive? Did it know he was there? Was it watching him? Would it attack him? Could he survive? All of these questions ran rampant in his mind as he finally dusted off the capsule and caught a glimpse of what was inside. But what was inside horrified him.

"N-no..."

Inside of the tube was a dragon, parts of its body spliced open, it was attached to many different tubes and hooks. Its organs were on full display for Von, its heart still beating. The dragon opened its eyes and stared straight at Von, its gaze piercing his soul. A shiver went up Von's spine as he quickly backed away and bumped into another capsule. This was had dust on it as well, but not enough to fully cover it. When he looked inside of this one, there was a pony inside. It was a unicorn, a mare at that, and her body was completely deformed. One eye was hanging out of its socket, her horn was broken off, she had scars all over her body and her legs were replaced with talons.

But what disgusted Von the most was that her jaw was broken off, leaving only the upper half. He could see her tongue just dangling there, rubbing against her neck as blood poured out of the entrance. Von felt like he was going to be sick. He covered his mouth to try and stifle his fear from pouring out and ran further into the room.

There, awaited much more horror. Dragons, ponies, gryphons, zebras: you name it! There were corpses all around him, strapped to tables or walls, each and every single one of them having been tortured and murdered in various ways. There were test tubes, needles and other tools scattered around the room. It was as though they were...

"...Being experimented on..." Von said in realization. What he stepped into was not a training facility...but an underground lab. "A lab...who would make a lab for something like this?!" Von screamed. Just as he tried to venture further on, trying not to look back, two figures stepped before him. The way they looked was...quite disturbing.

The bodies were pony-like, but the rest of them was not. They had mismatched body parts, such as a gryphon leg and dragon claw, snake tails, deformed or dislocated jaws and much more. But what seemed to be the most, if not at all, normal on these beasts were the dark crystals protruding their shoulders and hind legs. Their eyes were yellow and soulless and they continued to stare blankly at the kirin as they approached him.

"And it seems whoever made this lab made guards so that nopony would learn about this and live to tell the tale." Von growled a bit and got into his stance as he prepared to do battle with the strange chimeras. The one to his left made the first strike and leaped out towards Von, its maw opened wide in an attempt to bite and devour him. Von stepped to the side and countered, whipping the chimera with his tail. It flew back and fell to the ground and started to pick itself back up to get a revenge strike. But the second chimera made its move first and lunged at Von and clawed his cheek. Von managed to move back a bit to minimize the blow, but it still hurt. It wasn't a deep, but it caused him to bleed.

Von redirected his attention back to the chimeras and lunged out, clawing the one who struck him as well. His claws struck deep into its face, knocking one of its eyes loose from its socket. Reacting as though he just set off a landmine, the chimera pounced ontop of Von and started trying to bite his face off. Naturally, Von moved his head to the side constantly, avoiding the attack and when he saw the opportunity, he shot a burst of wind from his mouth and into the chimera's face and sent it flying into the ceiling. In an attempt to finish the job, Von readied a fireball but was interrupted as he hardly noticed the second chimera coming right for him. He noticed at the last second and didn't have much time to braced himself for impact. The attack came and the chimera bit into his neck.

...

...

...

...

...

...But there was no pain. Von opened his eyes and stared down at the chimera. Its teeth were certainly connected with his neck, but he felt no pain and he was still breathing. Upon further examination, Von saw that his skin had changed. It was brown and and it felt like it was made of stone. Yet, he was still quite limber. He was confused about this, but he shook it off as he knew he had to take care of this and keep going forward. He punched the chimera biting him in the face and when it stumbled back, he unleashed his flame and burned the chimera to a crisp. He turned his attention back to the second, it having fallen to the ground and was now limping. It growled at Von and Von returned his own. In a desperate act, the chimera lunged out towards Von with its crystals sparking with a dark and evil energy.

Von could feel the chimera's power rising. Nowhere near Nova's level, but it was still quite powerful. Von knew he had to return a powerful attack of his own to survive this. But his strongest skills were the only two breaths that he knew...or so he thought. Recalling his battle with Nova, Von remembered the technique he unconsciously used on Nova: his Meteor Dash. Eldrich had told him about the advanced fire skill, but Von was nowhere near being trained enough to control it, let alone use it. But he had to try. He kept his eyes on the chimera, concentrating his power into his inner fire. Sparks emitted from his body, slowly turning into small flames as the circled around his body.

The chimera was slowly closing the distance between them. The flames grew bigger and soon started to cover Von's body. The chimera got closer and closer, the dark power surging wildly from its crystals. The flames fully covered Von's body, though they were not as large as they were before. It was good enough for him. He charged headlong at the chimera and in a flash of light, the two were on the opposite sides. Von stood still, unmoving and the chimera was as well. Silence filled the room.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

The chimera burst into flames, howling in unbearable pain as its corpse collapsed to the ground and was reduced to no more than ashes. Von's skin returned to normal and he looked at himself in confusion.

"What was that just now?" he spoke. "It was like...I could feel Equestria's protection over my body. Was that the Earth element?" He wanted to think on it more, but he was wasting time. Tucking this event to the back of his mind, he continued forward.

After some time, Von discovered another room. It looked like an office. There was a desk, a chair and lots of paperwork. Von walked into the room and looked on the desk to find some notes. They looked like research notes, every single one documented by somepony named Professor B. Von took them in his claw, deciding to keep them for later and turned back to the door and started to leave. But the moment he turned around, there was another group of chimeras. But this time, there were alot more. Von grit his teeth in disappointment. Most of his power had been exhausted in that battle with the first two chimeras, having used Meteor Dash and his new power. He only had enough power left to use one more breath, but if he did that then he wouldn't be able to escape without collapsing from exhaustion.

He was stuck, nowhere to run as five chimeras made their advance towards him. It seemed like it was all over until suddenly, one of the chimeras was knocked over by a golden yellow blur. The others directed their attention towards said blur and began to assault it. Von wanted to escape, but whoever this was, he couldn't leave them behind. Seeing an opening, Von whipped one of the chimeras with his tail and sent it flying into a wall. He then continued his assault on it, catching the attention of two other chimeras and causing them to head his way. Blow after blow was exchanged between Von and the chimeras, as well as the source of the blur and the other two. Some time passed and all the chimeras were knocked out.

"Geez..." Von groaned, catching his breath. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he turned to thank the mystery figure who aided him. However, he fell silent when his gaze fell on the figure. It was a pegasus mare with a grey mane, a green vest with shorts and a compass rose Cutie mark. Von was at a loss for words as he realized who this pony was. "Y-you're D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D..." Von stuttered. The pegasus cocked her head sideways in confusion.

"Hey, you alright?" She asked. She was about to speak more when suddenly, she was cut off as Von screamed her name aloud.

"**DARING DO?!**"

Chapter 6-End


	7. Friends

"How could you have failed me?! You had ONE. SIMPLE. JOB! And you blew it!" Konan yelled. Nova knelt upon one knee and bowed his head.

"I apologize father. It will not happen again." Nova assured him. Konan snorted and turned his head away.

"Whatever. At any rate, everything will soon go smoothly." Nova lifted his head and looked towards his father.

"Father?"

"That old fool has been in charge for far too long. He is too forgiving and too laid back. Someone else deserves to be the Dragon King and it's not him." Konan looked up to a cave on the mountain, where Eldrich had lay. The elderly dragon paid no mind to his venomous gaze and went about his business. Konan was jealous of Eldrich's power and his status as the king. But he knew, somewhere in his mind, that he would have his day. Sometime...but it wasn't now.

"Do you wish for me to train myself?" Nova inquired. Konan merely nodded his head.

"Yes. However, I will not be sending you to go after Von this time." Konan explained. Nova's eyes widened on this.

"Father?!" Nova was about to protest, but Konan held his hand up.

"I will be sending another. I expect her to do a better job than you, my son." Konan stated. Nova raised a brow. Nova had expected that his father would send another warrior to do his bidding, but he didn't think that he'd send a female to do the job. This raised a few questions in his mind, but mainly one: who was the female?

"Her?" The moment he asked, a feminine figure approached the two of them. Her white teeth, forming a wicked grin, gleamed in the sun as its light cast upon her purple hide.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"D-Daring Do...You're Daring Do!" Von stuttered. Daring chuckled a bit and scratched her head nervously.

"So...you've heard of me, huh?" She asked. Von nodded his head rapidly and smiled one of the biggest smiles he ever had.

"Yeah! I've read your book. It was what inspired me to leave the mountain." Von explained. Daring stared at him, looking him up and down, as if trying to discern what exactly he was.

"Um...thanks. So...what ARE you?" She asked. Von got down from his high and smiled nervously at his idol.

"Um...I'm a kirin...or a dragon-pony. Von is my name." Daring stayed silent for a moment before Von looked away and frowned. "Are you...scared?" He asked, looking back at her. Daring shook her head and smiled warmly at him.

"Not really. In fact, you look pretty cool. I've never seen something like you before. Your appearance...it's kinda exotic." She reassured him. Von's ears perked up and he returned a smile to her. Lyra, Bon Bon, Reina and now Daring Do herself. Von had met four ponies that were not disgusted or frightened of his appearance. Granted, Bon Bon was quite scared at first glance, but she got used to it relatively quick. And Reina...well, there was no need for her to be frightened as the two knew one another from Hollow Shades. Even after all that time had passed, she still remembered him. But now wasn't the time for reminiscing.

"So...what are you doing here, Daring?" The kirin inquired. The mare giggled and took her hat off.

"Well, I was hearing word that somepony was doing some kind of strange experiments in this area because alot of ponies have gone missing when they come here. Looks like it was the truth." She told him.

"It's not just ponies. It's dragons, too." Von corrected her. "But why would there be dragons here? I thought they hated ponies."

"Well from what i heard, there was actually a hidden settlement where dragons and ponies could be together without being ridiculed or mistreated." Von's ears perked up upon this statement as Daring went on. "This place doesn't exist anymore. They say it was wiped out during some war. Its name was forgotten a long time ago. But my mother still remembers it and she told it to me."

"...What was the name?" Von inquired. Daring saw the look on his face and could tell that he was both worried and interested. Him being parts pony and dragon, it would only make sense that he'd get this concerned. But not only that, he remembered something from his childhood.

There was a point in time when Von detested being in Hollow Shades. He wanted to escape, to leave and abandon everything that was there so that he and his family could find a home where they were truly accepted. Ignus had told him stories of a haven where dragon/pony couples could live together without feeling any pain from insults or sadness from the ridicule they received. Silva was not certain what he was talking about, but she played along. It was a splendid place where pain did not exist. Only happiness and harmony between uncanny couples from two races. Von had asked what the name of the place was, hoping that he could see it someday. And of course, Ignus told him the name. And that name was-

"Dragonheart Village." Daring answered him. Von was stunned. No...SHOCKED, to hear that very name escape Daring's lips. The same name his father told him. The place he'd always hoped to see that he believed was just imaginary. The haven for the very same couple Ignus and Silva were...had truly existed. But now...it was gone. Wiped out. Forgotten. Nothing more than a barren land. Its name only known by 3 individuals: Daring, Silva and Von himself.

"The village...who wiped it out?" Von asked. Daring lifted a hoof to answer, but alas, no words came.

"It was a unicorn." A male voice proclaimed. Daring donned her signature hat as she prepared herself for this mysterious voice. But Von recognized it and the figure that stepped before them.

"Voyager." Von called out. Voyager smiled from under his hood.

"So you found the lab, huh?"

"Von, was it? Do you know this guy?" Daring asked. Von nodded, not looking over at her.

"Yes. He was the one who led me here." His eyes locked onto Voyager as he continued. "So what do you mean a unicorn wiped it out? There's no way that he did it on his own."

"He didn't. Or more along the lines, he COULDN'T do it on his own. Not unless-"

"-he had some allies..." Von realized. Voyager nodded.

"Yes. The unicorn has aligned himself with two powerful forces. One of which you know very well." He explained. Von raised a brow.

"Has? You mean he's still alive?!" He looked to Daring, who seemed pretty intrigued herself.

"Who did he align with?" She asked. Voyager chuckled and looked in her direction.

"He has aligned with a mysterious entity, so I cannot tell you who that is. But I do know that his other ally...is a dragon." Von's ears perked up upon hearing that sentence.

" A dragon?! Which one?! Who is it?! Tell me!" He grabbed Voyager by the throat and held him up against a wall. Daring grabbed Von's shoulder, trying to force him to release his grip. Her efforts proved difficult, but she managed to force him to let go. Voyager remained unfazed by Von's action as he could understand the reason why. The dream world Von envisioned was wiped out by the two species that he was trying to bring together: a pony and a dragon. And to top it off, this pony was still alive, avoiding the consequence of what he's done.

"I can see that you are upset. But worry not. I know where you can find this unicorn." Voyager assured him. Von calmed down and stared at him.

"Where is he?" He inquired.

"He's set up over in Baltimare. Apparently he has a shop in the outskirts of the town, where all the bad ones live. Best be careful when you tread there. One slip up and you might not come back." Voyager turned away as Von looked down at the ground, the fear of not coming back alive flooding his heart. As he looked back up to speak to the stallion, he had already left. However, his voice resounded throughout the facility.

_You should head back to your friends. I am certain that they are all quite worried about you._

* * *

Lyra paced back and forth within her home, Bon Bon worrying over the unicorn as they both were concerned for the well-being of their kirin companion. However, their worries ended when the front door opened and the young half-breed stepped inside.

"Hey. Am I late?" He asked. Immediately however, Lyra slapped him with her hoof and tears started streaming down her cheeks. Von was about to question the reason behind her action when she suddenly embraced him in her hooves.

"You idiot...we were worried about you." She said through her tears. Von couldn't help but smile and he soon returned the hug with one of his own.

"I know..." He lifted his head and smiled back at Bon Bon, who was also smiling with tears running down her cheeks as well. He was glad to be back, but there was one thing he needed to know before he could be fully content with his return. "Where's Reina?"

"She went home after what happened. She was still pretty upset that you got up and left without even so much as a goodbye. That's not a good way to treat your friends, especially mares." Bon Bon scolded.

"I know. And I'm sorry." Von apologized with a sigh. "But I managed to find something odd when I left. Take a look at these." Von reached behind him and grabbed the notes that he had found in the facility and showed them to his friends.

"Who's Professor B.?" Lyra asked, earning a shrug from the kirin.

"Not sure. But whoever he is...he needs to be stopped. I saw his underground lab. He...he's doing sick, vile and twisted things to ponies. But not just them. Dragons, griffins and other races too!" He shuddered as he recalled what he had seen there, but Lyra simply giggled.

"I think you're overreacting."

"He's telling the truth." A voice called from outside. Lyra and Bon Bon's eyes widened as Daring Do stepped into the house.

"Oh yeah. I forgot. I met a certain pony while I was there. You guys know Daring Do, right?" Von said. He grinned smugly at Lyra and closed her jaw as it looked like it was about to fall off.

"Uh...uh...ummm..." Lyra stuttered.

"Does this make up for taking your book?" He asked.

"Big time..." She responded. A moment passed before she regained her composure and she smiled bigger than she ever had in her life. "Y-you're Daring Do! Oh my goddess! I can't believe it's really you!"

"Please...don't make a scene. I already had to deal with one with him." Daring said, pointing to the half-breed. Von laughed and sat down on the couch.

"Sorry. I can't help it. You're The Daring Do, adventurer extraordinaire. I only read one book, but I felt inspired. I would never have been brave enough to leave home. I'm grateful." Von said. Daring blushed and removed her hat.

"Thanks. But can you do me a favor, Von?"

"Sure."

"Can you not keep calling me by my full name? While I'm here, I'm just Daring." She explained. Lyra cocked her head.

"Why can't we call you Daring Do?" She asked.

"Well...I'm kinda tired of the celebrity life", She started, "I feel like staying out of the spotlight for awhile, ya know? I like adventuring and exploring and all that, but I think I earned some time off. To live like a normal mare for awhile. You guys can understand that, right?"

All three of them looked to one another, taking in Daring's words. What she said was the truth. Ponies like her, celebrities in general, are hardly able to live like everyday ponies. Being able to have friends, play around and have fun, getting their hooves dirty, sharing secrets, having blossoming romances and much more was what all celebrities longed for. Daring was no exception. And Von thought that there were probably more ponies just like her. Maybe even that princess from his memories. ...Nah.

"Alright. You have a point, Daring. Anyway, welcome to Ponyville. Come on. We'll show you around." Von exclaimed. Lyra and Bon Bon nodded in agreement and proceeded outside with the kirin, with the guest of honor following behind them However not too long after they showed Daring around, a trio of pegasi came before them. One of them was adorned with a weight for a Cutie mark on his brown coat. The second to the right had an orange coat with three basketballs and was a bit taller than the brown one. The last one was to the left of the brown pegasi, sporting a gray coat and three footballs for a Cutie mark. All three of them split up and cornered Von and his friends with mocking smiles spread across their faces.

"Lookie what we have here, guys. It's that freaky dragon-pony from yesterday. What's the matter? Came back to get laughed at again?" Dumbbell said. Clearly, he was the leader of this ragtag little group.

"No, I didn't. I'm showing a friend around and I intend on doing just that. Now if you'll excuse me..." Von huffed as he turned and walked into the chest of the orange pegasus.

"Where ya going? We were just starting to have fun." Hoops said. Score merely laughed and all three of them surrounded Von.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Lyra shouted. She went over to one of the pegasi and was about to punch him, but Daring stopped her and pulled her back. "Hey!"

"No. Let him fight his own battle. He has to." She told her.

[~~~~~~]

"Now I know there's a town around here somewhere." Daring mumbled to herself, wallowing through the Everfree Forest.

"Excuse me." A stallion called out. Daring whipped her head back and saw a cloaked pony standing by one of the trees. "I have a request."

"Who are you?"

"Don't worry about that. But I have something for you to do." Voyager said. "To the west of here, there is an old abandoned building where knights used to gather. Below, there is a secret tunnel leading to some underground facility where ponies have gone into and went missing. Unspeakable experiments have taken place there and I wish to find the culprit."

"..." Daring stayed silent for a moment, expecting there to be more and Voyager smiled.

"Heh. But this is not the favor of which i ask, though it seems like something you would be interested in discovering, Miss Daring Do." Daring's ears perked up upon hearing her name. "The favor of which i ask deals with a young individual that I have already sent inside. He is a kirin, or dragon-pony if you wish. He has been dealing with many hardships over his life ever since he was born. I want him to establish independence, so that he no longer has to rely on anypony to support him. Including his mother and father."

"Why are you asking me?" She inquired. Voyager stared at his hooves grimly.

"Because he cannot learn without the aid of others. He was not able to learn what he needed so that he could support himself as he got older. His teachings had become limited to only his mother the moment I..." Voyager silenced himself and looked back up at Daring. "He needs to learn how to be independent. And I believe all of you ponies can teach him that." Daring stared at Voyager for a long while. This had come completely out of the blue for her. She was looking for a break from her celebrity life and was now being asked to help a young dragon-pony become independent. She was a bit reluctant, but she thought of it as a brand new adventure.

"Alright. I'll do it."

[~~~~~~]

Daring came back to reality and looked to the scene in front of her and the others. Dumbbell and his gang were punching and kicking Von, spitting out curses and other insults at him while Von did nothing but endure. He didn't want to fight and he didn't want to harm anypony. If he did, then he would be hated far worse than he thought he was.

"Somepony like you doesn't deserve to-" At the moment, Dumbbell was cut off when a fireball hit near he and his companions, causing them to jump back. But they jumped back further when a stream of ice nearly froze them in place. Von lifted his head and looked towards the pegasi when two familiar voices spoke up.

"You really need to learn to watch your manners when you speak to someone. You could hurt their feelings." Spoke the calm voice.

"Especially if that one is a friend of ours. Guess we have to teach you guys some respect!" The second, more brash voice spoke. Von's ears twitched in response as he absorbed the voices and realized who they belonged to. Smiling with joy, he shrugged off his bruises and ran to his friends.

"Axel! Arcius!"

"So sorry that we didn't come visit you sooner. But circumstances forced us to come." Arcius replied. "But we can catch up later."

"Yeah! Time to show these guys just who they're messing with." Axel shouted, punching the air in the direction of the group. Von smiled in response, pleased to see his friends doing so well but also for the fact that-

"It's payback time!" Von took lead as all three dragons and pegasi charged at one another and proceeded to brawl. Arcius took Score, Axel dealt with Hoops and Von being the technical leader, took on Dumbbell. Fists flew all around as blow for blow was exchanged. But due to their natural strength, Von's friends started to push them back. Von headbutted Dumbbell in his chest, earning a grunt of pain from him. Dumbbell swung at him in retaliation but Von ducked and countered with a whip of his tail across the pegasi's face, cutting him and drawing a bit of blood.

Arcius and Axel seemed to be handling themselves pretty well as they matched blow for blow with their opponents and countered when they saw an opening. With a final hit from all sides, Von and his companions stood victorious.

"H-hey! No fair! You have two dragons backing you up!" Hoops shouted. He then got up and started to fly away from the trio.

"Y-yeah! I'm getting out of here!" Score cried as he flew off as well. All that remained was their leader: Dumbbell, who was shaking and quivering with fear. The trio stared down at them and stepped closer. But the moment they took their step, Dumbbell shrieked and flew away with his tail between his legs. Laughing, Von turned to his friends and saw their smiling faces. They didn't need to exchange any words to know what they felt. They missed him and he missed them, too. Daring, Lyra and Bon Bon felt happy, yet nervous as well, which is natural since they were face to face with two full-fledged dragons. Sensing this, Arcius and Axel turned to the ponies to introduce themselves.

"Sorry about that. We got caught up in that little scrap that we forgot to make ourselves known. Name's Axel. How ya doin?" Axel introduced. Arcius sighed and bowed to the three mares.

"Please forgive my simple-minded companion. My name is Arcius. Charmed, I'm sure." He said. The way he spoke was fluent and very mannerly. His voice was so gentle and soothing that it caused a blush to appear on the faces of each mare, but only Daring was the one whose wings shot straight out.

"I-I swear, that never happens!" She shouted in embarrassment. Von and the rest of the gang burst into laughter, Daring joining in shortly after. However, a thought came to mind when the laughter died down.

"Oh yeah. You guys said that circumstances forced you guys to come here. What did you mean?" Arcius looked to Axel and they both looked at him.

"It's a long story, but I can tell that you are tired. For now, we shall rest and we will tell you come tomorrow." He said. Von was about to question him, but he knew how Arcius was. The moment he says tomorrow, he meant it. Questioning his words was like detonating a mine. Once it explodes, it cannot be undone. Arcius was one of the calmest dragons on the mountain, but he was also one of the fiercest. Von had only seen him angry once. The thought of it happening again sent chills up his spine.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow then." Von said. He waved goodbye and the dragons waved back as they flew off into the distance. He turned back to his pony friends, but Daring drew his attention.

"I'm gonna head on up and sleep on a cloud for a bit. I've always wanted to, but never got the chance. I'll see you guys in the morning." She said. She waved goodbye and flew away as well, leaving Von with Lyra and Bon Bon.

"I think we ALL deserve a good rest." Lyra stated. Bon Bon and Von nodded in agreement. With that, the three of them stepped inside and closed the door behind them, set on retiring for the night. Today was quite a productive day. Von discovered an underground facility, met his idol and reunited with his friends. After such a long day, a good nights rest was definitely a reward.

But soon after he turned around, a book surrounded by Lyra's magic hit him dead in his face.

"That's for cumming on my couch!"

* * *

"**_He'll be coming for you soon_**", spoke a low male voice. It was threatening and dark, full of resent and malice.

"Yes. I am aware. He truly is like his father, always so nosy. But that curiosity will be the death of him." Spoke another male voice. It sounded full of pride and animosity.

"**_Well then, I'm sure you already know what to do. I've given you the power to do so, as I did for Konan. I didn't give you another chance for no reason._**"

"I didn't forget. I will carry out your orders. I will offer you his soul as per our agreement. His existence is one that is not meant to be. He shall be cleansed from this world. All for his dream."

**_"Yes. His dream. His dream world will come to light..."_**

Chapter 7-End


	8. Dark Powers

"How can we be sure she'll get the job done?" Nova argued. Konan stepped down from where he sat and looked Nova in the eye. He stayed silent for a moment before he gave his child a wicked grin before he turned away.

"Because she has been given a special gift." He replied. "A gift that will give her powers beyond her mortal imagination. Even you can be granted these powers." Nova's tail twitched at the sound of that sentence. A power that goes far beyond his imagination, the strength he so desired. A power that could possibly crush his foes without even moving a muscle. Even if he couldn't do that, he wanted it regardless. He wanted that strength. He wanted that power...

And he wanted it now.

"Father, please tell me. How can I acquire such a power? I must know!" He demanded. Konan chuckled and looked to his son.

"You're just as ambitious as He is. Very well. I shall tell you. It's a simple thing that you must do." He walked over to Nova and placed a claw on his shoulder.

"I will do what i must. To succeed in my objectives, to defeat any foe and to make you proud, father. I will do whatever it takes." Nova proclaimed. Konan just chuckled at his statement.

"I know you will. Now listen carefully. What you must do is very simple. Close your eyes. Calm your mind. Clear it of any doubts you may have. All ambitions. All your pain. All your sorrow and defeat. Empty it all from your mind until it remains blank."

Nova did as he instructed and cleared his mind, allowing nothing to distract him nor discourage him. Konan's smile grew wide, filled with wicked thoughts and sickening pleasure. He had Nova eating out of his hands. He knew he could count on his own son's loyalty in order to fulfill his ambitions. To him, Nova was nothing but a puppet. But the moment had passed. He had to get this over and don with before they were discovered. He believed that they were alone, but that was not the case. From the sidelines, Silva was watching them from a distance. She had no clue what they were up to, but she knew it was no good.

"Good boy, Nova. Now then...are you prepared to receive your gift?" Konan asked. Nova nodded slowly.

"Yes father." Konan smiled wickedly and raised his hand.

"Good. Then from now on..."

The action of which Konan performed was beyond vile. It was sickening and cruel for him to do such a thing to his own son. Just the sight of it caused Silva to flinch and turn away in fright. What was burned into her eyes will never be unseen by her, nor will she ever forget Konan's cruelty...of ripping out his son's own heart.

"Your life belongs to Master **Orcus**"

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"Is everyone here?" Arcius asked, looking around the livingroom of Lyra's house. Sure enough, every single pony friend that Von made along his arrival to Equestria was gathered in the room. Axel sat next to Arcius, while Von sat with his friends in front of the two drakes. However his gaze was locked on Reina, who was also looking at him. The two of them smiled at each other, not having to say a word to express what they felt. And neither did the ponies beside them for they already knew that Von and Reina made their choice. And they knew they would live with it, as long as it made them both happy.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Reina?" Von asked. Having woken up the next day, feeling rejuvenated and fully relaxed, Von had left Lyra's home and made his way through Ponyville. On his way, most of the ponies around him stopped and stared as he walked, making him feel nervous. He believed that they would reject him, his true form having been revealed on the day of Nova's assault. And even now, his form was revealed to them. But to his surprise...they didn't. In fact, they were more than happy to see him. They waved to him, thanking him for protecting their homes and their loved ones.

On his way through town, Reina had called out to him. She had asked him to follow her to her cloud home because she wanted to talk to him. At first, being a stallion and all, he believed that she wanted him to come to her house because...

Either way, she wanted him over to talk.

"Yeah. I think we need to talk." She told him.

"About what?"

"Well...remember when we almost kissed back on the hill?" Von remembered that event. It was the day he and Reina went on their first date. The day Nova came to Ponyville. And the day he left Ponyville in shame.

"Yeah. I do." he replied.

"Well...I know you asked me to be your marefriend and all...but i don't think we should. For our sake." She told him. Normally most stallions would get upset and beg and plead for the mare to reconsider after getting rejected. But Von was not like that.

"I was thinking the same. In fact, I was gonna tell you that I don't think we should. Nopony knows what would happen if we did. Would it work out? Would we fight? What if one of us got hurt? I don't wanna think that kind of stuff, especially about my best pony friend." Reina smiled at him and gave him a hug.

"I know. I know you better than anypony except your mom and...oh. Sorry." She let go of him and stepped backwards.

"it's alright. I'm happy now. Anyway, I think that this is best for the both of us. And to tell the truth, I've always thought of you more as a sister." Von said with a teasing grin.

"Heh. And I thought you as a brother," She replied. "And I think it should stay that way." The two of them nodded their heads and shook hooves, agreeing with one another that they would see each other as siblings rather than lovers. This gave them both the opportunity to try and find their own special someponies. But they had something important to attend to first.

"Let's get going. Arcius and Axel are expecting us." Von reminded her.

"Right." Thus, the two of them spread their wings and flew to Lyra's house.

* * *

"Now that we're all here, Axel and I will tell you what's been going on." Arcius proclaimed. "On an important matter, your mother wishes you well and hopes that things are going how you thought they would, Von." Von nodded his head and smiled at his friend.

"So far, yeah. And I hope everything is going well for her, too. But anyway, what has been going on? is it Konan again?"

"Not just Konan. Him and Nova have been acting really weird lately. Even Cynder." Axel spoke. "We think they're going to try and overthrow the elder." Von's ears perked up and he jumped up the moment those words were spoken.

"THEY'RE WHAT?!" He screamed. Daring cleared her throat in an attempt to grab their attention, which she did and Von calmed down.

"Who's this 'elder'? If you don't mind me asking." She inquired. Von took a deep breath and glanced in her direction.

"It's ok. Anyway, the elder is my trainer and king of the dragons." He told her. "He's also a long time friend of my dad's." Von had great respect for Eldrich. Not just because he was king, not because he trained him and not because of his connection to his father. But because he accepted Von's birth and encouraged Von's dream of coexistence. To him, Eldrich was like family.

"So this Konan guy is trying to overthrow your king?" Reina asked. Arcius nodded in response, turning to Axel who began to speak next.

"We're not sure how, but he seems to have gained the favor of many other dragons for him to replace Eldrich as ruler. Not only that, he's been acting rather weird lately." Von tilted his head in confusion.

"How so?"

"We don't know for sure, but it seems like there is a great change in him. Something powerful...and frightening."

"At any rate, we cannot stop him at our current level of power," Arcius said. "So with that, we cannot go after him until we feel we're ready. So until then, Axel and I will keep trying to figure out what's up. Think you can handle it?" Von looked to his friends, seeing their determined faces and back to his dragon companions. He knew they had another task to complete before they could even begin to think of going after Konan.

"Yeah. I can wait. We have another task at hand." He told them.

"Good to hear. And we will help you in any way we can. But for now, how about a break? Axel and I have been droning on for quite some time. And i figured you deserve it anyway." Von and the rest smiled, getting up from where they were seated and took Arcius' advice. Lyra and Bon Bon went for a walk, Reina went back up to Cloudsdale to see what weather was to be scheduled for the week and Axel...well, he decided to head into Ponyville to grab a bite to eat, leaving only Von, Daring and Arcius behind.

"So..." Arcius started, "you're the famous Daring Do, huh?" Daring blushed and looked away from him.

"So you know me, huh?"

"Only because of the book Von had. Shame Konan burned it. But i must admit, you've had quite the impact on him. He never would've come here if it wasn't for you. Thank you for helping him live his dream."

"Heh...no problem. Say, you're a smart one. Do you like reading history novels?"

"I've quite the astute mind when it comes to ancient history. In fact, I-" Arcius and Daring continued to ramble on to one another about ancient history, artifacts, old civilizations and it was all giving Von a headache. But it pleased him to see his friends getting along with one another. Seeing as how it looked like he didn't exist to them, Von took to the streets of Ponyville.

The sun in the sky hadn't changed a bit. It was still as bright and peaceful as ever. The only difference was that now many things ran through Von's mind. Who is Professor B.? Who murdered his father? Will Konan succeed in his mutiny? And what is this strange power that made him become so frightening to his friends? All this and more had to be answered. But he could only focus on one at a time.

"First things first. Gotta find this Professor B." He told himself. To find this unicorn, he had to travel to Baltimare. He heard of the place, but never got to see it with his own eyes. He's always wondered what the cities in Equestria looked like. Baltimare, Las Pegasus, Cloudsdale, Manehat-

*Crash*

Von had walked smack dab into the wall of a building and fell on his back. He mentally cursed at himself for not paying attention when a sweet voice called to him.

"Hey...are you ok?" The voice asked. It was feminine with a hint of shyness to it. Von opened his eyes and stared at the mare that was standing over him.

"Uh..." Von stammered. In terms of appearance, she looked a little like Daring. But completely different. Her green eyes sparkled as her gaze was locked with his, her black and green mane complimenting her luscious white body. Daring was pretty and all, but Daring was nothing compared to this mare. And despite his resisting, a thought crossed Von's mind.

_I wanna rut this pegasus like no tomorrow...Gah! No! No perverted thoughts! I did this with Reina, I don't wanna do it again! Stop it! Stop thinking!_

"Um...are you ok?" The pegasus asked again. Von was too busy disciplining himself that he had forgotten the pony that was before him. Feeling rude, he got back onto his feet and dusted himself off.

"My apologies. But yes. I'm ok." He replied. The mare smiled at him and sighed in relief.

"That's good." She said. But at that moment, she realized something. "Are you a dragon-pony?" Von looked at her and smiled.

"Yes I am." He answered. "You know about my kind?"

"Yeah. My old coltfriend told me how there used to be dragon-born ponies in a place called Dragonheart Village. But it got wiped out. That sucks. I really wanted to see one with my own eyes." She told him. Her voice was full of sorrow. Seems she really wanted to see a kirin. "But now i met you. So I'm happy now."

"Good to hear, miss..."

"Storm Front."

"I'm Von. Pleasure to meet...you..." _Wait. She said 'coltfriend'...darn it. Guess she's taken. I can't believe this. I meet a nice, beautiful mare and she's taken by some random stallion._ Von kicked his foot against the ground. _This isn't fair. Why are all the good mares-_

Von smacked himself in the forehead, having just come out of his daze and realized what she ACTUALLY said.

"You're single?" He asked.

"Yeah. My coltfriend dumped me for some other mare. I could swear that she was probably a slut at some point in her life. And he's nothing more than an idiot. Leaving me for somepony like that. That no good two-faced, lying, manipulative treacherous...UGH!" Storm groaned in frustration and sat down beside Von. "Sorry. I'm probably boring you, huh?"

"Not at all", Von said, dismissing her outburst. "It's good to let out your feelings. So who did he leave you for?"

'Some pink alicorn pony. And get this? They got married about a few months ago. It was talked about all over town. I woulda made a good bride..." Now she was mumbling to herself, thinking about her break up. Von continued to stare at her, worried and intrigued. Worried because she seemed to still be quite shaken up about the loss of this stallion...and intrigued as to what she'd look like in a wedding dress.

_Gah! Come on Von. You just met her. Don't go acting that way again._ But he couldn't really help himself. They only met a few minutes ago and she was opening up so much to him. She seemed to be very trustworthy. Whoever the stallion was that dumped her, he lucked out. And worst of all, he went and married some pink alicorn. Remembering some of the pink females (and by some strange means, pink males) back on the mountain, he pretty much came to a quick conclusion.

_She was definitely a slut at some point. Probably in her teens. Heh...a pink alicorn..._ "Don't worry about him. He missed out. Anybody would be lucky to have somepony like you for a marefriend. Even...well...me, i guess." Storm lifted her head and looked at him. Her cheeks were flush with red and when his eyes met hers, he began blushing as well.

"Um...Von?" She managed to get out.

"Yeah?"

"Are you seeing anypony?"

"No. Why?" He inquired. She blushed and looked away from him and it only took him a moment to realize what was going on. _Is she thinking about asking me out?! But we just...I mean she...I just...ah buck it! She's hot. She thinks i'm cute. She's my type. She accepts me. I want her. She wants me. End of story._ "Are you thinking about asking me out?" He said aloud.

At that moment, Storm's wings unfurled from their resting place and stood at full salute, the owner blushing brighter than ever.

"Huh? Oh...no. no no no no no no no...I-i wouldn't. I-I-I couldn't...i mean...not unless you don't mi-" Her words were cut off when she felt a pair of warm lips press against her own. Her eyes widened at Von's sudden action until they slowly shut, responding to his kiss by pushing her lips against his. Seeing that she wasn't resisting, Von continued kissing her and the two felt like they were in their own little world. Von had liked Reina at one point, but never felt like this around her. And he had not expected to feel this way towards this strange pegasus. His body felt like it was going to melt. He felt hot, his forehead dripping with sweat, his tail was wagging against the ground uncontrollably and his heart was beating a mile a minute.

Storm was feeling the same way as her heart felt like it was going to leap from her chest. Reluctantly the two broke the kiss with only a trail of saliva connecting them. They stared at each other, trying to catch their breath and didn't look away from one another. In that instant, they knew what is was they were feeling in their heart...

_This is the one I want to be with..._

Awakening from his bliss, Von began to look around the surrounding area. Something wasn't right...the air that was once warm had now grown cold. Not cold like winter air...no...cold due to fear.

"V-Von? Is something the matter?" Storm asked.

"Get going..." Von muttered.

"W-what?"

"Now! Get away from here!" This time he yelled. Storm could see a hint of worry in his eye and seeing that as her signal to get going, she flew away. Von growled to himself and began running towards the center of Ponyville. "Dammit. He's here again?!"

As he continued to run, he was quickly greeted by the presence of his friends.

"You felt it, too?" Axel asked. Von nodded his head and kept running forward.

"Well whoever this is, we're not letting you handle this alone. We got your back." Arcius proclaimed. Von smiled and looked in Daring's direction.

"Where are Lyra and Bon Bon?"

"I told them to stay in their home. Whatever this feeling is, ponies inexperienced with danger like them don't need to get involved. I'm not much of a fighter, but i'll help any way I can." She said. Von smiled and the four of them stopped upon reaching the center.

Looking to the sky, they saw a feminine silhouette descending until it landed in front of them. The female smiled at them all, but the main focus of her attention was Von.

"Hey Vonny. Long time no see, baby~" She said with a sultry tone.

"Dammit, Cynder. Why are you here?!" Von asked.

"Simple. I have orders from Konan to bring you back." Axel sighed and shook his head at his sister.

"So even you have become Konan's lap dog, huh?" He said. Cynder giggled and smiled at him.

"Oh come on. You don't really think I'll follow him 24/7, do you? Now...if I was his PERSONAL lap dog, well-"

"We've no time for your games, Cynder. If you came here for Von, then you're going to have to get through us first." Arcius said. He and Axel stepped in front of their half breed friend, ready to defend him and Cynder's smile turned into a scowl.

"You know...if there's one thing I hate about men, it's their persistence!" As she screamed the last word, she opened her mouth and a stream of purple lightning came out and blew the two drakes away.

"Arcius! Axel!" Von cried. He looked back to his two friends, seeing them lying on the ground motionless. They were still breathing, but they were heavily injured.

"I-it's alright." Arcius spoke. "We're just a bit injured. That's all."

"Yeah. Ack!" Axel grunted. "I don't remember her lightning being THAT strong before..." Von turned back to Cynder, but she was not there. She was, however, over to his side and choking a certain pegasus that was with them.

"Daring!"

"My, my. Lookie here. A pony. You came here to meet ponies like her, didn't you?" Cynder asked. Von kept quiet and let Cynder continue speaking. "She has such a soft coat..." At that moment, she pressed one of talons lightly to Daring's neck. "Let's see what she looks like when she's SKINNED!"

"No, don't!" Daring squeaked out.

"Cynder, don't do it!" But Cynder wasn't paying any attention to Von's words. She drew her arm back, her talon aiming dead center for Daring's throat. As she was about to sink it in, Von yelled at her.

"**si relgr ihk vi bilnerk!**" Cynder stopped what she was doing and smirked as she turned her head to Von.

"Hehe. You really wanna do that?" She said. Her face was smug and confident while Von's was nervous and unwilling. But he needed to do what he could in order to protect his friends. Without a word he nodded his head, prompting Cynder to drop Daring and the pegasus ran to the two injured dragons.

"Are you two ok?" She asked.

"Yeah. We're fine." Axel said. Arcius groaned and looked at Von and Cynder.

"But i'm more worried about him."

"Why?" Daring asked.

"He just challenged her to a duel." Arcius told her. Daring's eyes widened and she shifted her attention to the situation before them. "Dragon duels are very are one on one and if he wins, then she'll have to do whatever he decides."

"And if he loses?" Daring looked to both dragons and saw that their expressions had become mournful and sad, causing Daring to feel the same. "Please win, Von..."

Von looked up at Cynder, who was still smiling down at him and readied himself.

"You already know the stakes, right Vonny?" She asked in a teasing manner.

"Just shut up and let's fight." He bluntly replied. And before Cynder could make the first move, Von acted before her and struck her with his tail. He seemed to do some considerable damage...however, Cynder just stood back on her feet and shrugged it off.

"Is that all you can do?" She asked him. She was clearly teasing him, baiting him to attack. But for what purpose? Cynder was never much of a fighter, likewise for him, but she always had the tendency to goad her foes into striking her. A smart fighter wouldn't fall for such a ploy. Von, however, wasn't the smartest fighter. He flew towards her and tackled her into the ground and shot a fireball down at her to finish the job.

However, she wasn't fazed. She had a few burns, but she didn't seem to notice them. In fact, all she did was just smile. Von grew enraged. He had to win. He needed to win. If he didn't, Cynder would show no mercy. He attacked her again. Charge after charge, flame after flame and punch after punch. Cynder just took it all and acted like it was nothing. This was unreal. Von had no idea what to do next. He used all his best attacks, save for one, but Cynder acted like she was being tickled rather than hit.

_What do I do now?_, He thought. _I've used most of my best attacks. But she just keeps shrugging them off like they were nothing! ...I got no choice. I have to use Meteor Dash...If this doesn't work, nothing will._

Arcius and Axel looked on to the battlefield before them, Daring tending to their wounds and started to analyze the situation. Well, mostly Arcius.

"This is most peculiar. Cynder likes to mess with her opponents, but not like this. She normally counters the moment she can. And Von left plenty of openings for her to attack. So why not...oh no." Arcius muttered. Axel looked over at him.

"What? Could it be she doesn't want to fight?" He asked.

"No. She wants to fight. But i noticed something. Each attack Von sent at her, she shrugged it off. She looks like she's hurt, but she's really not."

"Can you be clearer, please?"

"She's absorbing his attacks."

'What?! But how?!" Axel asked. "She doesn't have that kind of power."

"Maybe not before, but she does now. I don't know why, but I can feel some kind of sinister power lurking within her. ...And i don't like it. But my point being, she's goading Von to use all his attacks until he's completely exhausted and then she'll strike." Daring looked up at Arcius with worry in her eyes.

"D-Does that mean he's gonna lose?"

"I don't know for sure. But Von's stamina is depleted quite alot. And I know he has enough strength for one more attack. We can't let him go through with it." Arcius told her, looking in Von's direction. "Von! Don't attack! She's just baiting you!" But Von didn't listen. Instead, he was concentrating his energy and Arcius could see the fire in his eye burning brightly. "You idiot! Don't attack!" But it was too late.

Von summoned his inner fire and it surrounded him in a glorious blaze and he charged headlong at Cynder. Cynder smiled without them noticing and began to lift her hand. Von charged faster, getting ever closer to her. His rage and determination burned fiercely, increasing the size and heat of the flames around him. He had to win. He couldn't lost. Not here and not now.

Closer...

_I have to win..._

Closer...

_I need to win..._

Closer...

_I can't give up..._

Closer...

_I won't give up..._

Closer...

_For Reina...For Lyra and Bon Bon..._

Closer...

_For Arcius and Axel...For Daring..._

Closer...

_For my father...and for myself...I won't lose..._

Closer...

_They're all counting on me!_

"Thanks for the boost, Von."

The sound of crackling thunder rang out as a large surge of energy emitted from Cynder's body the instant she caught Von's fist and stopped his attack. The flames dispersed leaving Von completely stunned...shocked by what just happened.

"W-wha..." Was all he could get out in his daze. He was shocked not just because of his attack failing...but by what was in front of him...holding him in its claw.

In front of him was a completely different Cynder. Her scales that were once purple had now been altered to a midnight black. Her underbelly had turned to a blood red and her claws had become sharper. Her tail had what looked like the head of a morning star on it, her beautiful wings turned grotesque and torn. Her fangs as sharp as knives, her eyes bloodshot and full of malice and the aura around her body was menacing. But what was most noticeable about her was that she had dark crystals coming out of her shoulders and hind legs...

"...Just like the chimeras..." He muttered. Cynder giggled sinisterly at the reaction on his face and in one swift movement, she let him go and kicked him into one of the buildings. The speed of her strike was indescribable. It looked like she didn't even move an inch. Von flew through the side of the building and out the other, only to be greeted by Cynder on the other side and she hit him back through the same building. The ponies in Ponvyille began to panic seeing such a bout and ran away or locked themselves in their homes.

This display of power was beyond the likes of which Von and his companions had ever seen. Her strength, her speed and that sinister aura. It was almost like Nova's...no. BEYOND Nova's power level. For there to be a dragon other than Eldrich whose power surpassed Nova's...it was frightening, to say the least. Von, weakened from using all his best attacks on Cynder, couldn't so much as lift his hand to defend himself. Instead, all he could do was endure her attacks and pray that he'd live.

When Cynder halted her assault, Von saw this as his chance. He got back onto his feet and mustered up what strength he could and shoot a blast of wind at Cynder. It hit her chest, but it didn't even faze her in the slightest. She smiled in his direction, her eyes locking onto his and he stumbled back. He wasn't sure how, but it felt like she just pierced his soul just by looking at him. This wasn't good. He was scared beyond belief. He had to run. He had to get away.

But he couldn't. The moment he turned to run, Cynder stood in front of him and grabbed him by his neck.

"**Going somewhere**?" She asked. Her voice was distorted. Almost demonic, as though two voices were speaking at the same time. She smiled at him and punched him in his gut, earning a pained *oof* to come from his lips before dropping him. Von writhed in pain and looked to his friends. They were all fear-stricken as well, feeling like they were going to lose their friend. And they just might. Cynder was far too powerful now. Wherever this power was coming from, it couldn't be surpassed.

"I...i can't..." Von muttered. It was hard for him to even speak given his injuries. But Cynder didn't care and she stood over him, smiling down at his pathetic form.

"**Get it now?! You can't beat me. You always look on the bright side and hope things go better. But guess what? They won't! It almost never does. That's life!**" She said. "**And since i'm feeling benevolent, i'm going to give you a choice. You can either continue fighting me and die...**" She giggled and leaned closer to him, dragging her claw along his cheek in a seductive manner. "**...Or you can give up. The choice is yours, Vonny.**"

Von looked at his feet. He didn't like to give up, even if it would help him. But he couldn't keep fighting. If he did, he would die and his friends would suffer, too. But if he gave up, they might be saved but Von would have to suffer for losing to her. He was in too much pain and so were his friends. The choice was clear to him. All that was left to do was voice it.

"I..."

Chapter 8-End


	9. The promise

~12 years prior to Von's departure~

"Why do you wish to see my son?" Asked a concerned Silva. The alicorn in front of her merely chuckled and smiled.

"Because I heard from his father that he is just like him. He wishes to know what dreams he has for his future." Celestia replied. Silva raised a brow and looked outside at Von, who was climbing a tree in an attempt to catch a butterfly.

"About my husband-"

"He is fairing well. His prowess and leadership in my forces knows no limits. He has even been teaching a young stallion how to be a leader to his troops."

"Really?" Silva asked. "What is this stallion's name?"

"I do not know as of late. But I do know that his little sister is currently my student." Celestia replied. Silva sighed and looked to Von.

"Von?" The moment she called his name, the butterfly that was within his reach flew away, causing him to frown but his expression lit up when he saw his mom.

"Yes mom?" He replied. He climbed down from the tree and ran back to her, but not before he stopped and saw the princess in front of him. "Hey. I know you. You're that big pony that talked with dad. Celestia, right?" Celestia smiled and nodded.

"That is correct."

"Celestia here came to see you. I think she wants to play with you." Silva told him. Von's ears perked up and he looked towards the princess with the most innocent smile.

"Really?!"

"Of course. Come along, little one. Let's go play." Celestia said. She took Von, literally speaking, under her wing and the two of them went off to play. Silva stared at them, watching them play one of Von's little games. Celestia seemed to be quite the motherly figure. She was happy to see somepony else, royalty especially, to be treating her child with such care and consideration.

But this also worried her...

[~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~]

As of late, Silva hadn't been acting much like a mother anymore. It was not that she didn't care. It was because she didn't have the strength to. But she loved Von with all her heart, so she did her best to keep up appearances. But at what cost? She was his mother, but she couldn't BE a mother to him anymore. Why was this? It was because they weren't a whole family. Before Ignus departed, Silva was full of life. Always so high in spirits and confidence. But once he left, her energy died out. It was like she lost a part of herself. He was there, but he was not THERE.

But there was another reason, too. The main reason she was worried. She had a vision. Not just her, but Eldrich as well. A vision of things to come. Many things happening at once. Things that seemed to make no sense. Image after image flooded her eyesight. From her attacking Von, which confused her greatly, to Von standing over her and crying. And then things went black. Eldrich's visions were quite peculiar. From his eyes he saw Von as a full-grown kirin, leaving home. Going to the place where ponies lived. He saw Von struggle, but he never gave up. He was happy and smiling, full of joy.

In Dragon culture, many dragons have different abilities and strengths. Others can have abilities that no other except those of the same species can learn. But one thing that dragons of many types had was the ability of foresight. This ability came to some, but never to all. Sometimes it came at a young age and other times at an older age. But the visions were never incorrect. Everything that was seen was real...and bound to happen. They cannot control when the visions come. But when they did, they were to be wary. Anything could be shown in their visions. Some dragons use this ability to aid them in combat, to see the attack that was going to come next and dodge it easily or protect themselves from it. Others used it as a means to change their lives for the better or to see where their life was headed.

Each vision was different, depending on the situation the bearer was in. Some were happy visions, others were useful and some were life-changing.

And then...there were those visions. Visions of death. Visions of battle and bloodshed. And whenever these visions came...there was no escaping it. Once a dragon foresaw his or her own death, they couldn't get around it. All they could do was prolong the day they would perish and make the most of their time. But that is in most cases. If you are able to see what is going to cause your death, then you can change that future and prevent it. But if what causes your death is unexplainable or unseen, then there is no getting around it.

Silva confronted Eldrich and asked what her vision meant. He hung his head low, sad to say what was going to happen.

She was going to die. The vision that she saw portrayed her death. But how she was going to die could not be explained. It was not seen. She left Eldrich and returned home...unable to even think clearly. That is, until Celestia arrived...

[~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~]

Silva didn't know what to do. How could she prevent her death? Could she? Her vision had involved her fighting Von. Did that mean Von was going to kill her? But why? Why would he do that? Why was she fighting him? All of this was too much for her. All she could do was watch over Von, try her best to be a mother and watch her little colt grow up.

But she didn't want Von to end up all alone. She knew he could find a lover, but he couldn't find a new mother or father. Everyone, no matter who they are, deserves a family. A loving mother and a caring father. Deep down, even the most vilest of scum would turn to their parents for love and support when they needed it.

"Celestia?" She called out. Celestia stopped playing and looked in Silva's direction. She was signalling for her to come to her. She looked quite serious.

'Von, please wait here." Celestia said. Von nodded and did as he was told. Celestia looked back at his mother and walked over to her, eager to know what was troubling her. "Is something the matter?"

"Yes. I have something I wish to say...it's urgent." Thus Silva told Celestia of her visions, causing the alicorn to be taken aback by this.

"Oh my. Is there no way to prevent it?" She asked desperately. Silva shook her head. "But he can't grow up without both parents!"

"I know. ...And that's what brings me to what I want to ask next..."

Von kicked a rock against the ground as he waited for Celestia to come back over, bored out of his mind. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long as Celestia made her way back towards him.

"Sorry. Did I make you wait?" Von pouted at her but he quickly started laughing.

"Sorta. But it's ok. So can we keep playing?" He asked. Celestia nodded, but it looked like something was on her mind.

"Before we start playing again, I want to ask you a question." Von looked up at her in confusion. "What do you think of ponies and dragons being together?"

"I think that they are allowed to love whoever they want." Von answered, making Celestia smile.

"Even if some don't agree with it?"

"Well..." This made Von think for a moment. There were already plenty of ponies that didn't like his mother and father being together and they certainly didn't approve of him being born. And yet, he still lives and his parents still loved each other. "Yeah. Love...isn't limited to a single race or species. Love is for everyone. Not just ponies, but dragons too."

"What about the other races? Like griffons and zebras?" Celestia inquired.

"I think so, too." Von replied with a smile.

"But griffons don't get along with ponies and the ponies don't exactly trust the zebras. They won't change their minds without proof that they can actually get along."

"Then I'll give them proof." Von retorted. Celestia raised a brow and giggled.

"And how will you do that?" Von looked down and looked back up at her as he answered.

"I don't know how just yet, but I know I can do it. Dragons, ponies, griffons and zebras. We are all different, but we are the same. Not in looks, but how we feel. How we love, how we laugh, how we cry, how we get mad. It isn't how we look that matters, but it's what's in our hearts. And I'm going to prove it, too. When i get older, I'm going bring coexistence to all races." He declared. Celestia was shocked. Ignus had said that he would try and bring ponies and dragons together, but this was totally out of the blue.

Here was his son: his 8 year old son that was born from his union with Silva, which was proof that dragons and ponies can love each other. The fruit of their labor just declared that he would strive for coexistence. Not just for dragons and ponies. Or ponies and griffons. Or anything. He was striving for coexistence for ALL races. Never before had Celestia met somepony that made such a ludicrous statement. As impossible as it sounded, Celestia had always believed that it could happen one day. And here was a young half-breed...no...a young kirin that believed the same thing.

"Do you think you can do it?" She asked one last time. Von smiled up at her.

"Yeah. I mean...I know it'll take time, but I know I can do it. One day, it'll happen and I'll keep trying until it happens. It's like daddy told me: No matter how bleak things look, even if all seems lost-"

* * *

"-Never surrender."

**Chapter 9**

"**What was that?**" Cynder asked, standing over him. Von struggled back onto his feet and glared at her.

"I...I said...I'll never surrender. You may be strong now because of this weird...power you have, but you're not unbeatable." He told her between breaths. "I'm not going to lose. I put too much effort into getting here and trying to make something of myself. And i'm not going to let it all come crashing down just because Konan wants to send his BITCH after me!"

Arcius and Axel chuckled to themselves at Von uttering the word and Cynder's reaction. Her eye was twitching and her hands were balled into fists so tightly that she was drawing blood. She was angry beyond all recognition.

"**Bitch?! BITCH?! YOU LITTLE-**" She said, screaming in anger. Cynder lunged out at Von, ready to finish the job so she wouldn't have to hear him insult her or Konan again. Von closed his eyes and readied himself, though he knew he might not be able to withstand her attack. But he tried his best and stood there, ready to endure her.

...

...

...

...

...

...

But the attack didn't come. In fact, nothing around Von was occurring. He opened his eyes and looked up to see Cynder, mid-attack, frozen before his eyes. He touched her arm to see if he would get a reaction. But nothing happened. He looked around and saw his friends. Neither Daring, Arcius nor Axel were moving a muscle. They were all stuck in a singular pose...but not just them. Everything else was, too. The birds, the ponies. Everything.

"What the? What the hay is going on?!" Von cried out, hoping for somepony to answer him.

_It is time..._

"What? Who said-" Before he could finish, Von started to feel light-headed. His vision blurred as he fell onto his stomach in a daze. He tried to utter something, but no words came out as he fell unconscious.

* * *

Von awoke from his daze and rubbed his head, trying to come to his senses. But when he looked up, he saw something he never expected to see. He was in a void of some sort, but all around him were memories that he made. Some from his past, others more recent. They were all floating around the area and vanishing into thin air.

"Is this...my mind?" He said outloud.

_Close. Heh. You should know this place better than anyone..._

"That voice...Voyager?!" Von called out. His voice echoed and he received no reply. He thought for a moment. He knew this place? But how? He'd never been somewhere like this before. That's when it hit him.

This place...

"My heart..." Von whispered. This area...the atmosphere of it was warm and soothing, yet wracked with pain and doubt. Fear, love, sorrow, anger, happiness and above all, hope. These were the feelings that he could sense all around him. This was definitely his heart. Only he knew his own feelings. But now was not the time to be dwelling deeper on this thought. Voyager was here. He summoned him for a reason. But how or why was unclear to him.

Surrounding him was naught but a void of darkness and memories. He knew not where to go or even how to start. But the moment he took a step forward, a bright light shone from under his feet. It was nearly blinding, but not enough to prevent Von from seeing what was revealed. Several tiles leading into the abyss appeared before him, Voyager's voice ringing out as they did.

_You've taken the first step. But how far are you willing to go to reach the end?_

Von hesitated for a moment. He'd never been here before, so he didn't know what waited ahead. But whatever it was, he had to face it. If he didn't, his future would be lost. And his dream would never come to light.

"I'm willing to go all the way." He answered as he started to gallop along the tiles. As he continued forward, more tiles kept appearing before him so he could go onward. But with each tile he stepped on, more disappeared behind him. Which meant once he reached the end, wherever it may be, he wouldn't be able to turn back at all.

_What do you value most?_

Von closed his eyes again, still running before opening them to answer.

"Friendship. My friendship with those I have come across in my journey. Their kindness, their laughter and their smiles. I want to see them happy all the time." A bright light began to shine in the far distance of Von's path. But that was all there was: a pillar of light. As Von kept running, he noticed the path was leading in the direction of the pillar. He tried to think about it more until Voyager's voice rang out again.

_What do you seek most in life?_

This was quite an odd question. Von sought many things: to have friends, to be accepted, to be loved, to be strong and much more. Many individuals seek similar things. In Von's case, he sought after Storm. To love her, to live with her, to laugh and cry with her.

_I can see it in your eyes. There is someone you love. And you seek a future with her..._

Von blushed upon Voyager answering it for himself. It was true. Though they had not met too long ago, Von did indeed seek to forge a future with Storm. He wanted them to share a home, a bed, memories and a life.

"Yes. I do. I love her and I want to share what I have to offer with her. As little as it may be...what I feel in my heart and how much I care for her makes up for it all." Von spoke. With his declaration, the pillar of light began to shine brighter as he got closer.

_What do you strive for?_

Pfft. That answer was all too easy. Everypony so far knew what Von was working towards. "For coexistence between the four races." He answered.

_Are you doing it because your father did it or for yourself?_

That made Von stop immediately in his tracks. This was something he never thought about before. Why WAS he doing this? His father believed in coexistence and tried to make it reality. His mother thought so, too but she only supported Ignus. And then there was Von: living proof of their ability to live with one another. The mere thought of his reason behind seeking his father's dream made his head spin. He had multiple answers, but only one came to mind.

"I...I was doing it for my father's sake. I knew how much he wanted for dragons and ponies to come together in harmony and it made me sad that he...that he died without his dream ever coming to be. So I wanted to do better than him and try to bring all races together. But I was mostly doing it because it was what he wanted to do. What I knew he wanted me to try to do."

_He is no longer here and you know this. You are a grown stallion, Von. His dream is able to live on through you, but you cannot accomplish your goal for his sake. Doing things for the sake of others is good, but not if you do it because they want you to do it. Ignus dreamed of coexistence and died trying to bring it about. Now here you are, his son, trying to do the same thing. But if you truly want this dream of his, of YOURS to come to be then don't just do it because he wanted you to. You are independent and that means you make your own choices. You want this dream. You want them to live in harmony. You chose this path yourself. So don't do this because your friends want you to or your parents or anyone you know want you to. Do it because YOU want to._

Voyager's words hit Von on the head like a giant hammer. Why didn't he see it before? Everything that he's done so far was by his own choice. He chose to leave the mountain to go to Equestria. He chose to become friends with the residents of Ponyville. He chose to fight Nova and disobey Konan. He chose to protect his friends and he even chose to keep fighting Cynder, knowing he could possibly die. And deep in his heart, he still desires to bring about coexistence...

"...because that's what I want to do..." He mumbled. He smiled to himself, now realizing the truth. This journey of his started because he wanted it to. And he was going to see it through to the end.

_Now that you understand, I shall inquire once more: Are you doing this because your father did it or for yourself?_

"You really need to ask? I'm doing this for myself. Because I made this choice and I'm never going back on it! My future is my own. I don't need anyone to decide it for me!" He shouted to the heavens. The pillar of light suddenly shone brighter than ever, lighting the entire area and nearly blinding the young kirin. Once the light died down, Von uncovered his face to see a portal in front of him. Where it led, he did not know. But he had a feeling a conflict was coming on. He looked behind him to see no more tiles. There was no path back to the starting point, so all that was left was to keep going forward. Von took a step in front of the portal when Voyager asked him one last question.

_The test to see if you can establish yourself as an independent awaits. Beyond this point, there will be no turning back. Are you ready?_

Von nodded his head. There was no need for words this time. He was independent and he was going to prove it. With no more words exchanged between Voyager and himself, Von stepped through the gateway, it closing behind him as he entered.

_Do not falter, Von..._

The portal reopened on the other side as Von stepped out of it and it closed behind him again. This time Von had a clear sight of where he was. It was a tower, or at least that's what it appeared to be when he peered over the side. Down on the floor was the most peculiar thing. There were symbols, insignias which looked like they represented knighthood. But Von was no knight. Since he was the son of a knight, he guessed that made him a squire...now he was just rambling in his head. He had something important to do, to test his mettle. He stepped forward until he reached the center of the tower when a whooshing sound passed his ear.

"Who's there?!" He asked, turning around. No one was there, but he was sure that he heard something. "It's probably just my imagination." He told himself. But the moment he turned around, he saw a familiar form in front of him. It was the very cloaked stallion that had summoned him. "Voyager! Oh wow. Am I glad to see you." Von said.

He started to approach the stallion, a big smile on his face.

"I almost thought that I wasn't gonna-" Suddenly, a shiver went up his spine. It was a big chill this time and this only happened to him when he sensed one thing: danger.

"W-wha-" Was all he got out before he jumped back in time to avoid Voyager's attack. He looked to the stallion to see that he was brandishing a sword. A rather rusty sword at that. "Hey! What did you do that for?!"

"..." Voyager ignored him and swung his sword at him again, this time managing to nick Von's tail when he tried to dodge.

"Agh...what is wrong with you?!" Von asked. Voyager ignored him again and began to raise his sword, prepared for another attack. Von didn't want to fight, but it looked like Voyager wasn't going to give him a choice. "Fine. If that's how it's going to be...then let's dance."

Voyager made the first strike again and slashed the air, a blade of energy sent towards the half-breed at a blinding pace. But Von wasn't going to fall for it this time. He leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the attack and landed on the stallion's side, countering with a buck of his legs.

The strike connected, sending Voyager sliding backwards but he wasn't out of the picture just yet. It was going to take a whole lot more to beat him. There was not much known about Voyager, but he seemed really strong. The two of them lunged at each other and started to clash. Claw to blade, hand to hand, the two of them didn't let up in their attacks. Von felt like he was about to lose his edge in battle so he moved backwards and whipped his tail, Voyager blocking the attack and being sent further away from him.

"You're quite the fighter. Not as strong as Nova, but you're way more skilled." Von complimented. "But why are we fighting? Is this part of my test?" Voyager said nothing and simply shrugged off his words. He twirled his sword around and brought it to his side in a bushido fashion. A style which Von had only seen be done by his father's subordinates. "That stance..."

"You recognize this?" Voyager asked in a cocky tone.

"I do. Only the knights of the Holy Order know the bushido sword style. Are you one of the knights?"

"...I was. But not anymore. I am naught but a wanderer."

"That fighting style is sacred! You have no right to use it, you traitor!" Voyager's breath became ragged as he started to growl.

"Traitor?! You dare to call me a traitor?! The real traitor is the reason why I am who I am today!" He yelled. Before Von could respond, Voyager slashed the air and sent another blade of energy towards him and this time it connected. It cut his leg, causing him to fall to his knees as it severely injured him.

"What do you mean traitor? Who's the traitor?" Von asked. Now he was really curious. He had no idea that there was ever any rebellion among the order. Their job was maintain peace and harmony. So for there to be a traitor among them...it was unthinkable.

Von remained silent and tried to get back onto his feet, willing to fight this stallion even though he worked alongside his father. However he fell back onto his knees, still hurt from his previous injury. Seeing this, Voyager grimaced a little.

"You fought hard in order to try and make your dream a reality. But it seems you can't fight back." He told Von. "And if you can't fight back in the face of adversity, then your dream will never come to light. Are you truly content with allowing your goal to become halted by such an injury? Are you giving up?!" Voyager raised his sword above his head, ready to deal the final blow.

But Von wasn't about to give in now. If this was the test, he needed to pass it now. If not...

"Then everything I've worked for will be for nothing!" He yelled. Still in pain, he forced himself up and readied himself as Voyager was about to attack.

"Give up! Your dream is worthless! It will never come to be!"

"I'll never know unless I try and I'll be damned if anyone gets in my way! I'm independent! My future is my own!" With that declaration, Von swiped his claw as Voyager sliced at him.

All fell silent...

The two of them stood in front of each other, exhausted as can be after unleashing their last attacks. Von stood to the left, his leg injured and weakened from fighting for so long. Voyager to the right, though whether his injuries were serious or not was yet to be determined. They stared at each other, breathing heavily due to their bout...

The air was still...

All was silent...

Neither of them had moved from their position...

_Clang!_

A single sound echoed throughout the area as the top half of Voyager's blade fell to the floor. Broken and unusable from Von's attack. Voyager was dumbfounded. In only a matter of seconds his sword, rusty though it may have been, was cut flawlessly in half by the young kirin. But that wasn't all. A single trickle of blood dropped to the floor in front of them. Von's attack had connected to not only the sword, but also to Voyager himself.

"..." Voyager said not a single word, nor did Von. Instead he just walked slowly past Von: injured, stunned, bleeding but more importantly...happy. Voyager was happy. Happy to see how strong Von had become, how strongly he held onto his dream and how powerful his will to achieve that dream was. Never in all his years had he seen someone...no, somepony who was so determined.

"Hehe..." He chuckled. Von looked over at him, both confused and worried.

"V-Voyager? Are you-" Von stopped speaking for a moment and stared as something odd unfolded: Voyager's hood came off, his face revealed. But what caught Von's attention more...was his identity. "N...no way..."

Voyager smiled and looked over at Von and spoke to him once more.

{~~~~~~~~~~~~~}

_"Daddy...you're not going to be gone forever, are you?"_

_"Of course not. I'd never leave you or your mother behind."_

_"Really? You promise?"_

_"Oh come now, Von."_

_"No. I want you to promise me right now. I want you to promise that you'll come home. If not for mom, then for me. I want you to promise that you'll come home and teach me how to be strong like you. Promise me."_

_"Hehe...alright. It's a promise. I'll make sure to turn you into one of the most independent kirins in the world. Because you won't be able to rely on your mother and me for long. But you have to promise that you'll never give up on your dreams."_

_"Alright. I promise!"_

{~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}

"Well...looks like I kept my promise..."

Chapter 9 - End


End file.
